Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday the public will be able to watch the execution of the Fort Hood shooter by firing squad.
Why it matters: The U.S. hasn't held a public execution in 90 years, and Hegseth's remarks raise questions about how the military would allow people to watch.
- It's unclear if Hegseth's remarks mean the execution will be open to public spectators, broadcast on streaming or TV, or made available to select individuals.
Driving the news: Hegseth was asked about Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
- Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood.
What they're saying: Hegseth told Real America's Voice that Hasan is "gonna get a firing squad of soldiers. As it should be."
- "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it. That it's public. Because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
State of play: The Department of Defense declined to comment on Hegseth's remarks, leaving many unanswered questions about how the public could watch the execution.
- The AP reports that the Army has not shared how it intends to conduct the firing squad execution.
Zoom out: This would also be the first U.S. military execution since 1961.
- The last U.S. military execution by firing squad was in 1945, when Pvt. Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion in France, according to NPR.
Death by firing squad are rare in the U.S.
- Only Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah authorize the method, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
- Last year, South Carolina executed a prisoner by firing squad for the first time in the state and the first time in the U.S. in 15 years.
The last public execution in the U.S. was in 1936, when Rainey Bethea, a Black man convicted of raping a white woman, was hanged in Kentucky.