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Wis. mom reacts to Fort Hood shooter’s sentence

By: Associated Press//August 30, 2013//

Wis. mom reacts to Fort Hood shooter’s sentence

By: Associated Press//August 30, 2013//

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Family members of victims of the Fort Hood shootings are escorted to a news confernence outside the the Lawrence William Judicial Center following the sentencing phase for Maj. Nidal Hasan, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, in Fort Hood, Texas. The jury sentenced Hasan to death. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Family members of victims of the Fort Hood shootings are escorted to a news confernence outside the the Lawrence William Judicial Center following the sentencing phase for Maj. Nidal Hasan on Wednesday in Fort Hood, Texas. The jury sentenced Hasan to death. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — The mother of a Wisconsin resident killed in the Fort Hood shooting says she cried tears of relief after the man responsible was sentenced to death.

Nidal Hasan was sentenced Wednesday to die for the November 2009 rampage that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30, including Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger. She was with the Madison-based 467th Medical Detachment.

Her mother, Jeri Krueger, said the sentencing was an emotional release after dealing with the shooting for 3-½ years.

“Just a flood came over me,” she told Sheboygan Press Media. “I cried just out of pure relief.”

Krueger, of Kiel, was one of the survivors and family members who testified during the court martial and sentencing in Texas.

“I thought it was going to be harder than it was,” she said. “It was apprehension, until you see him. He doesn’t even deserve my anger. You look over at him, and it’s like, ‘Nothing. You’re just nothing.'”

Although she would have been satisfied with a sentence of life without parole for Hasan, she said she’s pleased with the death sentence.

Pvt. Amber Bahr of Random Lake, now Amber Gadlin, was injured in the shooting and she testified against Hasan during the court martial.

She finally met Krueger when they were both in Texas.

“It was wonderful to see her, to finally meet her,” Krueger said. “I got to meet a lot of the victims throughout this. It’s been quite an emotional roller coaster.”

Survivors are now battling the U.S. Department of Defense over its classification of the shooting. They say it should be classified as workplace violence instead of terrorism, which limits the services and benefits available to survivors. But Krueger is ready to put the whole situation behind her.

“It’s done,” she said. “It is over for me. There could be appeals, I don’t care, I’m not going to listen to any of it. I know he’s sitting in a four-by-eight cell, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Information from: The Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboygan-press.com

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