Nidal Hasan Has Earned $278,000 in Salary Since the Fort Hood Shooting

To date, preparations for the trial of accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan have cost the government at least $278,000 — and that's just in the salary that Hasan received since the 2009 massacre.

NBC's Dallas affiliate, KXAS, reports that Hasan, who at the time of the shooting was working as an Army psychiatrist, has continued to receive his salary for the past 42 months.

The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty.

If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days.

According to witnesses, Hasan shouted "God is great" in Arabic before opening fire, repeatedlytargeting soldiers that had already been wounded. Thirteen people were killed and 30 wounded.

Despite those apparent details, however, the government doesn't classify the event as an act of combat or terror. According to the government, the shooting was "workplace violence" — meaning that the injured aren't entitled to additional pay or Purple Heart designations. Several members of Congress have written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, asking for the event to be redesignated.

Read more at The Atlantic Wire.