Fort Hood shooter execution may expand firing squad use across US

Fordham Law Professor Deborah Denno told Fox News Digital that a successful firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan could lead to the method's adoption by other states. Denno, a leading expert on capital punishment, stated it is "highly likely" that if the military's execution on December 3 proceeds quickly, the method would be used on other inmates. The Trump administration announced earlier this week that Hasan, sentenced to death in 2013 for the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32, will be executed by firing squad. The Pentagon confirmed to Fox News Digital on Thursday that authorities plan to livestream the sentence.

Denno argued that the firing squad is considered more certain, quicker, and the "least inhumane" method of execution compared to lethal injections. She noted that condemned prisoners are believed to suffer less pain under this method. Furthermore, Denno pointed out that the supply of skilled shooters is abundant, citing police officers, corrections officers, and hobbyist marksmen as potential candidates who are willing to perform the task. The Army recorded the last U.S. military execution in 1961 at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where Pvt. John A. Bennett was hanged following convictions for rape and attempted murder.

The shift toward firing squads in some jurisdictions comes as lethal injections face scrutiny due to drug availability and reliability concerns. Idaho, Utah, and South Carolina have recently embraced the firing squad as a potential means of execution. Last week, Christa Pike, a 50-year-old Tennessee death row inmate sentenced for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, survived two doses of pentobarbital. Pike is recovering after the failed attempt, which marked the first time a person survived a lethal injection in the modern era.

Denno noted that firing squads have historically had fewer controversies than other methods, with only two incidents recorded in 1877 and 1951. However, she highlighted a recent exception involving Mikal Mahdi, a 42-year-old double murderer executed in South Carolina last year. Mahdi, who killed store clerk Christopher Boggs and off-duty officer James Myers in 2004, chose the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair. Following his execution, his lawyers raised concerns that none of the three bullets struck his heart as intended.

Dr. Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist hired by Mahdi's defense, stated that the shooters missed the intended target area and that Mahdi was struck by only two bullets instead of three. Arden said the resulting internal injuries led to a more prolonged death process. Although the executioners in Mahdi's case have not been publicly identified, Denno said they were presumably experienced shooters. She characterized the outcome as "troublesome" and advised paying close attention to the procedures used during Hasan's execution on December 3.