President Donald Trump has ordered the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist who shot 13 unarmed U.S. soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009. Hasan has been sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013. This execution, approved by Trump’s administration, is significant as he could be the first U.S. soldier executed in over 60 years.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell conveyed on social media that the firing squad method was proposed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and later accepted by the president. Execution using firing squads, along with electrocution and gas asphyxiation, has seen renewed attention in states experiencing challenges with lethal injections.
What Does Execution by Firing Squad Mean?
Firing squad is among five historic execution methods utilized in the U.S., including lethal injection, electrocution, gas, and hanging. Instances of execution by firing squad since 1977 are sparse, totaling six occurrences. Although Trump reintroduced firing squads for federal crimes last year, usage remains uncommon.
Lethal injection is the predominant execution method since 1976. Hanging is currently illegal across all U.S. states. The distinction between state and military executions arises in procedural requirements, with military executions necessitating presidential approval following appellate review.
Which States Allow Execution by Firing Squad?
In the U.S., 27 states uphold capital punishment, amongst which Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and others are included. However, states like California and Oregon have halted executions due to gubernatorial moratoriums. In the 23 states and Washington, D.C. where capital punishment is abolished, five—Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah—authorize executions by firing squad.
From July 1, 2026, Idaho will prioritize the firing squad as its execution method. Meanwhile, Tennessee experiences debate with inmate Christa Pike requesting firing squad execution, although only lethal injection and electrocution are sanctioned there. Tennessee State House Speaker Cameron Sexton advocates for consideration of firing squads, post-Pike’s surviving lethal injection.
How Does Execution by Firing Squad Work?
Execution by firing squad involves a cohort of trained personnel or volunteers from corrections, law enforcement, or the military. They fire simultaneously at an inmate’s heart. Firing squad composition varies, with South Carolina using three volunteers, while Utah employs five certified officers.
The technique involves restrained prisoners, positioned inches from shooters, aiming to ensure anonymity among shooters and uncertainty of who might deliver the fatal shot. An Associated Press report details prisoners being strapped to a metal chair placed atop a catch basin, roughly 15 feet from the squad, using fragmenting bullets for maximum cardiac damage.
When Was the Last Firing Squad Execution?
Previously rare, firing squad executions made a recent appearance between March and November last year in South Carolina, including instances involving Brad Keith Sigmon, Mikal Mahdi, and Stephen Corey Bryant.
Sigmon’s execution marked the first by firing squad since Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010 and a South Carolina inaugural. Under the state’s law, inmates may select from firing squad, electric chair, or lethal injection options. South Carolina’s Supreme Court endorsed these methods as legal, asserting firing squad’s brevity in inmate suffering.
Mahdi’s death raised concerns regarding humane execution, with autopsy observations suggesting prolonged suffering due to imprecise shots. Brad Keith Sigmon, Mikal Mahdi, and Stephen Corey Bryant chose firing squad execution, per the 2021 law, as means.
When Will Hasan Be Executed?
Nidal Hasan’s radicalization post his mother’s death influenced his religious conservatism and familial estrangement, noted by a George Washington University study. Infamously, Hasan’s attack on November 5, 2009, became a notable lone terrorism incident, recognized as a deadliest noncombat attack on a U.S. base.
The execution’s timing and locale will be decided by the Secretary of the Army. Pentagon spokesperson Parnell remarked on social media, “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come,” echoed by Defense Secretary Hegseth affirming justice.
Three other individuals accompany Hasan on the U.S. military’s death row.