Army Sets Dec. 3 Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Who Killed 13
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 7
Army Sets Dec. 3 Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Who Killed 13
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 7
Summary
Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. Central is the date the Army set to execute Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad at Fort Hood, 17 years after the 2009 attack.
Trump approved the death sentence earlier this week, and Army rules require an execution 60 to 150 days after presidential approval; Hasan's is scheduled 63 days later.
Hasan was convicted in 2013 of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder for killing 13 people and wounding 32 in the deadliest mass shooting on a U.S. military base.
If carried out, the execution would be the first under the military justice system since 1961 and the first U.S. military firing squad execution since Pvt. Edward Slovik's 1945 death.
How will the Army logistically execute a paralyzed inmate by firing squad for the first time since 1945?
Could unrevealed procedural errors or last-minute legal appeals halt the military's first execution in 65 years?
The 2026 Fort Hood Execution: Military Firing Squad Returns After 65 Years in Nidal Hasan Case
Overview
The report traces the path from Nidal Malik Hasan’s radicalization and planning in 2009, through the Fort Hood mass shooting, his conviction and death sentence, and the long legal process leading to the 2026 execution order. It highlights how nationwide problems with lethal injection drugs and a botched Tennessee execution pushed federal and military authorities to adopt the firing squad, with President Trump directing this method for Hasan’s execution. The overview also connects the broader shift in military and federal execution policy to practical challenges and legal changes, showing how one high-profile case reflects systemic changes in the U.S. military death penalty.