Hegseth wants a livestream execution. Here's how firing squads work
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at an Anduril Industries event in Sparrows Point, Md. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to livestream the December execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by using a firing squad, one of the rarest forms of capital punishment in the United States.
Why it matters: The planned livestream would mark the first public U.S. execution in roughly 90 years, but it has already drawn scrutiny, with President Trump expressing doubt it'll happen.
Catch up quick: Hegseth said Oct. 8 that Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting, will be executed in December, and the execution will be livestreamed.
- Trump has expressed apparent uneasiness despite giving his initial endorsement, Axios' Marc Caputo reported.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed some concerns, too, while Vice President Vance said he wouldn't watch if it were aired.
Zoom out: Execution by firing squad is rare, with only six since capital punishment resumed in 1977, per the Death Penalty Information Center..
- The U.S. military last executed someone by firing squad in 1945, when it executed Pvt. Eddie Slovik for desertion in France, per NPR.
- The military's last execution was in 1961, when it hanged John A. Bennett.
How a firing squad works
State of play: The Pentagon hasn't disclosed its firing squad procedures for Hasan's execution and didn't respond to Axios' request for comment Tuesday. Past executions offer a glimpse of what the method typically involves.
How it works: The procedure typically begins with a prisoner strapped to a chair placed before a wall and surrounded by sandbags to absorb blood.
- A medical professional will typically mark a target over the prisoner's heart, while a black hood covers the prisoner's head.
The shooters fire simultaneously, aiming at the heart, from a set distance away from the prisoner.
- If shooters miss the heart, the prisoner can still die from blood loss.
Zoom in: States have different approaches to the firing squad method.
- For example, Utah uses five shooters, one of whom has a blank round, while South Carolina has three shooters, all with live ammunition.
- Hasan uses a wheelchair, potentially complicating how the execution would be carried out at Fort Hood.
Yes, but: Firing squads don't always work as intended. Last year, prisoner Mikal Mahdi was executed in South Carolina by firing squad. An autopsy later found that only two bullets struck him and missed his heart.
Where firing squad is legal
The method is legal in Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah, according to the DPIC.
- It is the main execution method in Idaho as of this past summer.
- The only authorized method for capital punishment in Texas is lethal injection.
Yes, but: State laws don't govern military executions.
What we know about the execution livestream
Few specifics are known about the livestream execution, where it would streamed, or how people would watch it.
- It will happen on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 1pm CT, in Fort Hood.
- It's unclear if the execution would stream on social media or a website. TikTok and Kick said the event would violate their policies.
What we're watching: The Army.
- Army Regulation 190-55 assigns the Army responsibility to choose the method, date and location of the execution.
