Chaos unfolded at Fort Stewart on Wednesday morning after a U.S. Army sergeant allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers, leaving five wounded, military officials confirmed. The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Sgt. Quornelius Radford of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, was quickly subdued by nearby troops and is now in custody.
According to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, Radford used a personally owned firearm during the attack, which took place in a unit area of the base. Radford, a logistics specialist from Jacksonville, Florida, joined the Army in 2018. He had no combat deployments on record.
The injured soldiers were swiftly treated on site and transported to a nearby Army medical facility. Three required surgery, and two were later transferred to a hospital in Savannah for further treatment. All five are reported to be in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.
Thanks to the swift response of fellow soldiers who tackled the suspect, greater tragedy was avoided. “These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties,” Lubas praised during a press conference.
Radford is currently held in pretrial confinement and has been interviewed by the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division. While a motive has not yet been confirmed, officials noted that Radford had a previous DUI arrest that hadn’t been flagged by his command.
Authorities confirmed the weapon used was not military-issued, and emphasized that the incident is not believed to be connected to terrorism or extremist activity. There is no ongoing threat to the Fort Stewart community or surrounding area.
Emergency response teams were alerted at 10:56 a.m., with the base entering lockdown by 11:04 a.m. The suspect was detained by 11:35 a.m., and the lockdown was lifted shortly before 2 p.m.
