An Army sergeant was arrested after allegedly shooting five of his fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart, an Army base in south Georgia, on Wednesday.
The incident caused a lockdown that was later lifted after the suspect, Army Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, was apprehended.
Radford is in custody, and the wounded soldiers were taken to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. Three of the five needed surgical intervention for their wounds, and two have been transported to Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, for additional care.
Radford was an automated logistics sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and has never been deployed to combat. He is awaiting charges in pretrial confinement.
The suspect is alleged to have used a pistol in the shooting that was not military-issued. Brig. Gen. John Lubas said soldiers subdued Radford at the time of the incident.
“These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties,” Lubas said.
A motive for the shooting is not known, Lubas said. He added that he was confident in the security of the base and that it was unclear how the suspect sneaked his personal pistol into it.
“I’m very confident in the security of this installation,” Lubas said. “We’ve got a great partnership with local law enforcement. As you can see here at our gates, we have armed guards and protective equipment. This was difficult, and we’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of place of duty.”
Lubas also noted that police arrested Radford locally for a DUI, which was unknown to his chain of command before the shooting. A DUI can place a soldier’s career in jeopardy with the subsequent consequences.
The base previously went into lockdown with the initial report of the shooting.
“Law enforcement was dispatched for a possible shooting in the 2nd ABCT complex at 10:56 a.m.,” according to a Facebook post by the Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield account. “The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m. The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and Fort Stewart lifted the lockdown of the main cantonment area at 12:10 p.m. 2nd ABCT complex is still locked down.”
Base officials said earlier that all gates were closed and the commander advised a lockdown. Personnel were directed to “stay inside, close and lock all windows and doors. Keep telephone lines open and report accountability to your leadership.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation and that the White House is monitoring the incident. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also been briefed.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) said he was “heartbroken” by the news.
“I’m monitoring the situation closely and join all of Georgia as we pray for the safety of our servicemembers, staff, and their families,” he said.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) also wrote on social media that he was “saddened by today’s tragedy at Ft. Stewart.”
“As we remain in close contact with law enforcement on the ground, Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by today’s tragedy at Ft. Stewart,” Kemp wrote. “We are keeping the victims, their families, and all those who answer the call to serve in our hearts and prayers, and we ask that Georgians everywhere do the same.”
Shootings on military bases perpetrated by soldiers aren’t unprecedented. In 2009, an Army psychiatrist identifying with radical Islamist beliefs opened fire at Ford Hood in Texas, killing 13 people and injuring 32.
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Another shooting in 2013 saw a military contractor kill 12 people and injure three in Washington’s Navy Yard.
Soldiers are among the most vulnerable to mental health problems. The Military Times reported earlier this year that diagnoses among active-duty soldiers increased by 40% from 2019 to 2023. Post-traumatic stress disorder accounted for the largest increase in diagnoses.