Defense Attorney: Hasan Is Paralyzed From the Chest Down

Wants Military Justice System to Move More Slowly, Says Accused Fort Hood Shooter is in Severe Pain.

Major Nidal Hasan, charged with killing 13 in the Fort Hood shooting spree, is paralyzed from the chest down and is not a flight risk, said his defense attorney after a hearing before a military magistrate in Hasan’s hospital room Saturday. The accused Fort Hood shooter had his first court hearing in the intensive care unit of a San Antonio hospital at 1 p.m. His status has now been changed from pre-trial restriction to pre-trial confinement, meaning that he will be confined until his court martial.

The military magistrate ruled that Hasan will stay at Brooke Army Medical Center for now, but the military has the option of moving him to another medical facility or to jail. According to defense attorney John Galligan, Hasan is paralyzed from the chest down, is incontinent and “in severe pain.”