Survivors of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision not to broadcast Nidal Hasan’s scheduled execution to the public. They said a livestream could turn the event into a spectacle, distress viewers and potentially provide terrorist groups with propaganda.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3, 2026. Trump said immediate family members of the victims may witness the execution in person, but the public will not be able to watch a broadcast. The change reversed an earlier announcement by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that the execution would be livestreamed.
Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times in the attack, described Trump’s decision as a positive one in comments to Fox News Digital. Lunsford said he supports Hasan’s death sentence and execution but opposes presenting it as public entertainment. He warned that a recording could be used by ISIS or al-Qaeda in recruitment messaging.
Lunsford also said allowing the victims’ families to attend in person matters, even without a public broadcast. He described the execution as a potentially difficult experience for those families, but said witnessing it could help them bring a chapter of the event to a close.
Julia Wilson, a civilian employee at Fort Hood during the shooting, also supported the decision. She was nine months pregnant at the time and was thrown against a wall during the attack; she and her unborn son survived. Wilson told Fox News Digital she had opposed a livestream because watching the execution could affect viewers’ mental health and because online footage might remain accessible, including to children.
Trump said in a Wednesday post on Truth Social that broadcasting the execution might have served as a deterrent, but that he had decided against streaming it after considering objections. He said Hasan would still be executed as scheduled and that immediate family members could attend if they wished.
Lunsford also criticized the Army’s handling of Hasan before the attack. He said Hasan had shown signs of serious problems and questioned the decision to transfer him from Walter Reed to Fort Hood. His comments refer to his view of the events leading up to the shooting; the supplied report does not provide an Army response.
The attack continues to affect survivors, Lunsford said, citing lasting reminders in daily life, including medical appointments and medication. He said he now considers himself a survivor rather than a victim. The source reports the execution as scheduled for December 2026; it does not establish that the execution has taken place.
