The soldier accused of shooting five other service members at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on Wednesday is a 28-year-old sergeant who had been assigned to the base for around three years, officials said.
Quornelius Radford, an automated logistics sergeant from Jacksonville, Florida, is accused of opening fire shortly before 11 a.m.
Investigators were trying to determine a motive.
the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield commander, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, said that the suspect used a personal handgun and that the shooting involved people he worked with.
“What we know is this soldier, the shooting occurred at the soldier’s place of work. It did involve his co-workers,” Lubas told reporters Wednesday. “We’re still not certain about the motivations.”
The five wounded soldiers are expected to recover, Lubas said. They were hospitalized and were stable Wednesday afternoon.
Suspect hasn’t deployed to combat
Radford was a logistics sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is based at Fort Stewart.
He joined the Army as an automated logistical specialist in January 2018 and has been assigned to Fort Stewart since 2022, the military said.
Radford has not been deployed to combat. He was assigned to one of the sustainment units in the 2nd Brigade.
Automated logistics in the Army involves overseeing supplies and equipment and maintenance of supply data and records, according to the Army’s website.
Shooter used personal handgun, was tackled
Radford used a personal handgun, not a military weapon, Lubas said.
Soldiers in the area who saw the shooting “immediately and without hesitation” acted to tackle the shooter and subdue him until law enforcement arrives, Lubas said.
“These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties,” he said.
Part of the investigation will determine how the gun entered the base, Lubas said.
“As you can see here at our gates, we have armed guards in protective equipment,” he said. “This one’s a bit difficult, and we’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of duty.”
No known discipline; DUI was unknown
Lubas said that he was not aware of any military disciplinary actions concerning Radford, but he said it was early in the investigation.
A May arrest and booking report from the Liberty County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office shows a Quornelius Radford was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Lubas said the military believes Radford was “arrested locally for a DUI that was unknown to his chain of command until the event occurred and we started looking into the law enforcement databases.”
Fort Stewart is in Liberty County.
The sheriff’s report says the arresting agency in that case was the Georgia Highway Patrol post in Hinesville. It lists an arrest time of 1:02 a.m. May 18. The charges were listed as obedience to a traffic control device required and DUI. The record shows he was released after he posted a bond set at $1,818.
Defense secretary calls shooting ‘cowardly’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the shooting “cowardly” and said there would be “swift justice.” He expressed thanks that all five soldiers were expected to survive.
“We owe profound gratitude to the law enforcement heroes who charged into danger,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Swift justice will be brought to the perpetrator and anyone else found to be involved.”
Lubas said Radford was in pretrial confinement Wednesday awaiting a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel. He has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Lubas said.
President Donald Trump said he was praying for the victims. He said two of wounded were “very, very seriously hurt.”
“The entire nation is praying for the victims and their families, and hopefully they’ll fully recover,” Trump said.
“We’re not going to forget what happened,” Trump said. “We’re going to take very good care of the person who did this. Horrible person.”
Phone numbers for any relatives of Radford’s in Jacksonville could not immediately be found in a search of public records Wednesday.
Fort Stewart is about 40 miles southwest of Savannah.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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