Fort Hood survivor speaks out on decision to livestream firing squad execution
A former US Army sergeant who survived a mass shooting on an US military base has spoken out about the fate of the gunman.
Alonzo Lunsford was shot seven times when Nidal Hasan opened fire inside a medical building at the Fort Hood base in Texas back in 2009.
Hasan, who was working as a US Army Army psychiatrist at the time, fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers during the attack. The Pentagon recently announced that he will face a firing squad, marking the first military execution in more than 60 years.
Looking back, Lunsford recalled how Hasan got out of his chair and jumped onto a counter before discharging a weapon - with Lunsford just two or three strides away from a back door when he was struck above his left eye.
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Now, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed for the execution to be livestreamed so the public can see the consequences of the crime.
Speaking to the BBC, Lunsford said: "I don't really have any sympathy for him as far as firing squad vs lethal injection, hanging or gas chamber, because he didn't have that same compassion when he did the deed on 5 November.
"I think the method is befitting for him because the lethal injection - that's doing him a favour. Gas chamber? Is doing him a favour."
However, Lunsford isn't on board with the State broadcasting Hasan's death to the world as he believes it is 'not something you should view for entertainment purposes'.
"To show the whole thing without it being censored for the general public, for me personally, I don't agree with that, but it's not about my personal belief," he added.
While he does think it should be aired to the victims and their families who do not wish to see his execution live but who may want to tune in online, he fears that it might have a negative impact on younger people who manage to access the stream.
As for how Lunsford's going to watch it, he told the broadcasting service: "I'm gonna be there [to watch in person] and before they pull the trigger, I want him to look at me in my eyes and I look at him in his eyes and I want him to know: 'Dude you failed, I'm still here."
As well as the being shot in the head, Lunsford was also struck two more times in his back while crawling to hide behind a desk.
"At that point I played dead," he said, before recalling how he dragged a wounded soldier outside, only for Hasan to shoot him again.
One tragic memory that still haunts Lunsford is hearing a pregnant woman shouting about her unborn baby.
He recalled: "We heard a gunshot and the last thing that girl was saying was: 'Oh my god, my baby, my baby'."
Even after the trauma he endured, Lunsford has found a way to move forward thanks to Christianity.
"We're taught that with your last breath you can ask for forgiveness and I think that's what he [Hasan] should do," Lunsford added.
Joe Yates