Army secretary due to visit Fort Stewart one day after shooting wounded five soldiers

CNN

4 days ago

The US Army secretary is set to visit Fort Stewart military base in Georgia on Thursday, a day after authorities say a 28-year-old active-duty sergeant pulled out a personal handgun and opened fire at the base, wounding five before he was subdued by fellow soldiers.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will honor the soldiers who sprang into action to stop the suspect, who has been identified as Sgt. Quornelius Samentrio Radford. Driscoll will recognize the soldiers' 'acts of heroism,' according to a news release.
'Soldiers in the area that witnessed the shooting immediately and without hesitation tackled the soldier, subdued him,' Brig. Gen. John Lubas said at a news conference Wednesday. At that time, the five victims – all soldiers – were in stable condition.
The shooting was the latest example of the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the United States, showing even a US military installation filled with soldiers is not immune: Wednesday's incident is among at least 262 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as one that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.
On Wednesday, Lubas said Radford's alleged motive was not known.
But a law enforcement official briefed on the case told CNN Radford had a disagreement with one of the victims on Tuesday. He followed that coworker to a maintenance area and shot him in the chest before shooting four others.
That's when Lubas said other soldiers 'prevented further casualties' by tackling Radford, allowing police to arrest him.
It's unclear what the disagreement was about.
Law enforcement responded at 10:56 a.m. ET, according to a Facebook post from Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield. Less than 10 minutes later, the base was locked down. Emergency personnel were sent to treat the victims at 11:09 a.m., the post said.
Radford joined the Army in 2018 as an automated logistical specialist and was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the US Army said. His role involved handling supplies and warehouse operations.
Radford had not deployed to a combat zone and had no known behavioral incidents on his military record, Lubas said.
However, the general acknowledged Radford was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in May. Radford's chain of command was unaware of the arrest prior to Wednesday's shooting, Lubas said.
Radford was out on bond and scheduled to be arraigned on August 20.
The suspect's father, Eddie Radford, had not noticed unusual behavior by his son recently, he told The New York Times. He did not know what might have motivated the shooting, but said his son had complained about racism at Fort Stewart and had been seeking a transfer.
The Times did not publish more specifics.
Fort Stewart declined to comment on the racism allegation and whether Radford had requested a transfer. 'The circumstances that led to the events today are currently under investigation,' a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division told CNN.
The suspect used a personal handgun in Wednesday's attack, Lubas said Wednesday.
The weapon is a 9mm Glock the suspect bought in Florida in May, according to the law enforcement official. The gun was recovered at the scene along with numerous shell casings, the official said.
Authorities are unsure how Radford got the gun through the base's high security before carrying out the shooting at his place of work. Carrying personal firearms on base is typically prohibited by military regulations.
Radford has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and remains in pretrial confinement as he waits for a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, Lubas said Wednesday.
The suspect will be tried by the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, according to a military official – an office akin to a US Attorney's Office. The OSTC is reviewing the evidence and in the process of drawing up charges.
Once that's done, the suspect is expected to be court marshaled, the military official said.
That would be comparable to a trial. It is, however, a 'completely different justice system' than a civilian would face, CNN analyst Ret. Gen. Ty Seidule told CNN Wednesday.
Radford, Seidule said, would be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, under which the military has its own judges and prosecuting counsels. Soldiers accused of the most serious crimes may face a court-martial.
If convicted of a serious crime, Radford could be imprisoned at a military prison, Seidule said.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed the suspect would be 'prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly said in a post on X, 'Swift justice will be brought to the perpetrator and anyone else found to be involved.'
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN's Danya Gainor contributed to this report.