Pete Hegseth announces plan for public execution of Fort Hood shooter

Pete Hegseth said the execution of A, the former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, would be public. A Defense Department official subsequently confirmed that the execution was to be livestreamed.

The defense secretary said in an interview that the execution was to take place by firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas. If carried out, it would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years.

A opened fire at a medical processing facility on a military base in Texas, killing 13 people and injuring dozens. A military jury sentenced A to death in 2013, and A has since been held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

A exhausted the appeals process last year. Donald Trump approved the execution this week on Hegseth's recommendation.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism about the Defense Department's plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood mass shooter. The plan also drew concern and opposition from lawmakers.

Speaking with reporters aboard the vice presidential aircraft on the 9th, local time, Vance said he did not know whether the livestream would actually happen. He said he would not watch even if it did.

The Defense Department announced on the 8th that it would livestream the execution by firing squad to the public. The execution is scheduled for December 3 at 1 p.m. President Trump approved the execution by firing squad on October 2 following the defense secretary's recommendation, and military regulations require execution between 60 and 150 days after presidential approval.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis posted on X that he supported the death penalty in this case but opposed public streaming. Senator John Curtis and Representative Austin Scott also urged Defense Secretary Hegseth to reconsider the plan.

The Defense Department and the Army have not said whether the execution video will be made public online or provided privately to selected individuals. Military regulations prohibit people under 18 from attending. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr said the broadcast decision fell outside the FCC's regulatory authority and that he would defer to the Defense Department's decision.

U.S. Vice President Vance skeptical of Fort Hood execution livestream plan

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