US to livestream execution by firing squad
The execution of a US mass shooter will be livestreamed, with the news coming days after the botched execution of a convicted murderer.
Source: Washington Examiner / Facebook
The Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the execution would be “public”.
Hegseth, speaking to TV outlet Real America’s Voice News, said the execution of Hasan will take place at Fort Hood on December 3.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009.
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said.
When asked if Hasan had made any final requests or reached out to the Trump administration, Hegseth simply replied: “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3rd.”
Officials in the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday the execution will be livestreamed and that more details would follow.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had said on Monday that President Donald Trump had approved the execution of Hasan.
The White House on Thursday immediately referred questions about the plans for the livestreamed execution to the Pentagon.
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Hasan described himself as a soldier who had ‘switched sides’. Photo: AP
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, walked into a medical building where soldiers were were waiting in long lines to receive immunisations and medical clearance for deployment. He shouted “Allahu akbar” – Arabic for “God is great!” – and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun.
During the trial it was revealed that Hasan spent weeks planning the deadly attack, and his preparation included videotaping a sales clerk showing him how to change the magazine on the pistol that he purchased.
He would later go to a gun range outside Austin and ask for advice on how to reload with speed and precision from an instructor.
Soldiers later testified that Hasan’s rapid reloading made it all but impossible to stop the shooting. Investigators recovered 146 shell casings inside the building and dozens more outside, where Hasan shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot.
Hasan said it was an effort to stop them from going to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims. A military judge barred him from presenting that as a defence during his trial.
Hasan made almost no effort to defend himself in court, telling jurors when he acted as his own counsel that evidence would show he was the shooter and describing himself as a soldier who had “switched sides”.
Hegseth said the US military hasn’t executed a service member by firing squad since World War II. The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was executed by hanging.
Pike walking after botched lethal injection: lawyer
The news comes after the botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike, who is now able to stand and walk short distances, her lawyer says.
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Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital as Tennessee executioners sought to put her to death eight days ago for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of classmate Colleen Slemmer.
Pike was able to move around her hospital room for the first time this week, lawyer Stephen Ferrell told the BBC.
However, Pike remains somewhat mentally “foggy” and easily loses her train of thought, Ferrell said. Her arms are also still severely injured, leaving her barely able to use them.
In a statement, Pike’s legal team said: “While her physical recovery has been remarkable, significant questions remain about the long-term effects of what she endured.
“Christa is dealing with the profound psychological trauma of having survived a failed execution, including the terror, pain and uncertainty of believing she was about to die.”
Pike regained consciousness on Tuesday, when she awoke and was able to speak, they said.
The lawyers initially described Pike as “angry and confused” in the hours after regaining consciousness, and added on Thursday that she continued to have challenges with concentration and memory.
It remains unclear whether she will suffer permanent damage.
On Wednesday, a Tennessee court ordered authorities to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution attempt on September 30, including intravenous lines, syringes and documents detailing Pike’s condition.
It remains unclear whether the US state will seek a new execution date.
Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee has suspended further executions until at least the end of the year and ordered an independent investigation into the incident.
Pike’s lawyers have said they will push for Lee to commute her death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“She should never be subjected to another execution attempt,” the statement read.
–With AP
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