Latest news with #FortStewart
CNN
7 hours ago
- CNN
US military bases are fortresses that guard against external threats. But what happens when the threat comes from within?
Federal agencies US military FacebookTweetLink Fort Stewart in Georgia houses the US Army's vaunted 3rd Infantry Division, a premier fighting force roughly 20,000 soldiers strong. It was at the headquarters of the division's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, described by the Army as its 'most lethal and fit' armored brigade combat unit — formidably equipped with tanks and modern artillery systems — where five soldiers were wounded Wednesday when authorities said a 28-year-old active-duty sergeant pulled out a personal weapon and opened fire. The latest shooting at a US military fortress long accustomed to guarding against external threats demonstrates that no amount of physical security can totally protect soldiers when the threat comes from within, according to experts. 'I just don't think there's any way to ever prepare for every single possible insider threat,' said Robert Capovilla, a former military prosecutor and partner in a law firm representing current and former service members. Still, the violence has renewed concerns about the safety of American service members at facilities where they live, train and work. And, when coupled with other high-profile shootings at military bases in recent years, the rarity of such incidents offers little solace to the victims and families of soldiers hurt or killed by other service members. For Nichole Hillman — whose husband Nathan, an Army sergeant with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, was shot and killed by another soldier at Fort Stewart in 2022 — the latest shooting was 'terrifying and completely heartbreaking.' Nathan Hillman and the alleged gunman both served in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, nicknamed the Spartan Brigade. 'I was sick over it, as it brought back so much pain and fear, and had me reliving one of the absolute worst days of my life,' she told CNN via Facebook Messenger. 'Our soldiers shouldn't have to fear going to work. They should be able to know 100% for a fact they are safe.' The military has mandated active shooter and 'insider threat' training following a series of deadly mass shootings at American bases, including one in 2009 at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, in which 13 people and an unborn child were killed and more than 30 others wounded. At Fort Stewart on Wednesday, authorities said, unarmed soldiers ran toward the sound of gunshots and tackled the suspect, subduing him and halting a shooting Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said could have been much more severe were it not for their bravery. 'Under duress and fire, they ran into battle to the sound of the gunfire, took down the assailant, and then took care of their comrades. And that made all the difference,' Driscoll said Thursday at Fort Stewart, where he awarded six soldiers the Meritorious Service Medal for their actions. 'We commit to you that anything we discover during the investigation that can make this base and other bases like it safer, we will act on as quickly as possible,' Driscoll added. 'We are constantly looking at our security protocols at all of our bases … We absolutely will want to learn from this investigation. We do not want something like this to ever happen again at an Army base.' Last year, Fort Stewart's military police simulated an active shooter and hostage rescue exercise. The drills have been routine at US military bases for years and include topics such as what to do before, during and after an active shooter incident. On Wednesday, Fort Stewart was briefly put on lockdown. 'The fact that the base was put on lockdown so quickly shows that the installation had practiced this kind of an event, and they knew what procedures they needed to implement in order to minimize the impact of this active shooter incident,' said Cedric Leighton, a retired Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst. 'The response clearly had been practiced.' The motive for the shooting was not known. A law enforcement official briefed on the case told CNN the shooter, identified as Quornelius Samentrio 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 on Wednesday. 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. The unarmed soldiers who intervened 'prevented further casualties' by tackling Radford, allowing police to arrest him, said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, Fort Stewart's senior commander. The soldiers handled the scene like a 'battle drill,' according to Lt. Col. Mike Sanford, the commander of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion. Active shooter training instructs soldiers on what to do before, during, and after shootings — including helping others evacuate, not moving the wounded, creating barricades and, as a last resort, using 'whatever means possible to overpower the subject to save further lives.' Military bases have strict regulations on the possession and storage of personal weapons. 'I'm not sure by allowing soldiers to carry their personal firearms with them in a professional capacity while they're doing their jobs prevents what happened at Fort Stewart,' Capovilla said. 'Our military personnel that live and work on military installations, by and large, I would consider them to be in highly secure and safe facilities.' The November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood by an Army psychiatrist with radical Islamist beliefs forced the military to evaluate 'not just the tactical-level response that happened at Fort Hood specifically, but also the processes and systems and policies that were in place for the Department of Defense as a whole that could have led to what happened,' Mary 'Chris' Frels, deputy provost marshal for US Army North said one year after the shooting. After Fort Hood, Frels said, the military reevaluated its risk assessment process to consider both internal and external threats. A huge part of the training involves teaching service members to identify behaviors in colleagues who may be spiraling — which could be early warning signs of a potential 'insider threat.' The risk indicators range from declining performance rating to demotions, from threats of violence to suicidal ideation to criminal behavior. Authorities this week would not speculate about Radford's motives. He had not deployed to a combat zone and had no known behavioral incidents on his military record, Lubas said. 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. The suspect's father, Eddie Radford, told The New York Times he had not noticed unusual behavior by his son recently. 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, according to the Times, which did not cite any specifics. CNN has reached out to Eddie Radford for more information. 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. Authorities are unsure how Radford got his personal firearm through the base's high security before carrying out the shooting, although personnel with authorized access are typically not searched en masse unless an installation has increased its security posture in response to potential threats. Carrying personal firearms on base is typically prohibited. 'From a company, battalion, or brigade commander's perspective, I think it would be very hard to enforce good order and discipline if the soldiers were allowed to carry their personal weapons with them at all times,' Capovilla said. Radford had texted his relatives at least 20 minutes before he began shooting, his uncle, Joe Mitchell, told CNN affiliate WTLV: 'I just want y'all to know that I love y'all, and I tried my hardest to be the best I could be.' Radford's military career began in 2018. Around the same time, he started being bullied over his stutter, two former coworkers told NBC. Sneh Patel, an attorney who represented Radford during his DUI case, also confirmed to CNN that Radford 'has a stuttering condition,' although he wouldn't disclose much more due to client-attorney privilege, he said. 'He got bullied a lot,' Sgt. Cameron Barrett, who became friends with Radford during an Army training program, told NBC. 'It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.' In a video training course by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, which handles security and risk management across the Defense Department workforce, the narrator warns: 'It is up to all of us to be aware of potential signs and report what we see. You are your organization's first line of defense against someone who could do harm.' CNN's Amanda Musa, Dakin Andone, Alisha Ebrahimji and Danya Gainor contributed to this report.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Fort Stewart shooting suspect was relentlessly mocked for stutter, soldiers say
A friend of the man accused of gunning down five fellow soldiers at the Fort Stewart army base in Georgia earlier this week recounted how the suspect had been repeatedly bullied for having a serious stutter, according to a news report. Meanwhile, soldiers who acted swiftly to suppress the gunman and prevent the possibility of a much higher death toll were being hailed as heroes for their bravery in the terrifying moments after shots rang out on the sprawling military base on Wednesday morning. The man in custody for the shooting, Sgt Quornelius Radford, 28, was relentlessly mocked and mimicked for his speech impediment, from the earliest days of his army career, NBC News reported on Thursday. 'He got bullied a lot. It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk,' Sgt Cameron Barrett, 28, a friend of Radford's, said in an interview with the TV network. No motive has been officially discussed in the aftermath of the incident, amid the criminal investigation, in which five service members were wounded by gunfire and rushed to the hospital, although they are expected to recover. Another soldier who had worked alongside Radford earlier in his career said that the sergeant had also lost a loved one in a traffic accident in January, and had taken it hard. The suspect's father has said his son complained of experiencing racism. When initial reports that there was a shooting began to reach soldiers on the base south-west of Savannah, Barrett said to NBC that he messaged Radford to ask if he was all right, but did not get a response. Meanwhile, Sgt Aaron Turner recounted to the Associated Press that he was helping lock down a supply warehouse at Fort Stewart when he saw a fellow soldier walking past, wearing a hooded sweatshirt over his uniform and holding a handgun – after shots had already been fired. Instead of ducking for cover, Turner said, he approached the gunman and started talking – asking what he was doing there and where he was heading. When he got close enough, Turner grabbed the soldier's gun and took him to the ground, where soldiers held him down until military police arrived. 'I was able to keep a cool head, but pretty much my training ended up kicking in,' Turner said on Thursday. 'It wasn't about my life at that point. It was about the soldiers.' The US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, came to Fort Stewart on Thursday to praise Turner and five other soldiers for their quick actions in subduing the gunman to prevent further bloodshed and rendering life-saving aid to the victims. Driscoll awarded each of them the meritorious service medal. 'The fast action of these soldiers under stress and under trauma and under fire absolutely saved lives from being lost,' Driscoll said at a news conference afterward. Authorities say Radford used a personal handgun in the shootings, not a service weapon. Fort Stewart officials have not said why he opened fire, citing the criminal investigation. Radford worked as a supply sergeant assigned to the 703rd brigade support battalion of the third infantry's 2nd armored brigade at Fort Stewart, the largest US army post east of the Mississippi River, and home to thousands of soldiers. The battalion's commander, Lt Col Mike Sanford, said on Thursday that he's unaware of any problems with Radford or arguments that preceded the shootings. 'Right now, there's no signs that there was an issue,' Sanford said in an interview. Radford's father, Eddie Radford of Jacksonville, Florida, said in an interview with the New York Times that his son had sought a transfer and complained to his family about racism at the base. Radford, who is Black, texted an aunt shortly before the shooting and 'said that he loved everybody, and that he'll be in a better place because he was about to go and do something', Eddie Radford said. Sgt Carlos Coleman, who worked with Radford early on after the latter joined the army in 2018, also spoke to NBC about the man's stutter. 'It was easy for those people to make fun of him for the way he spoke. After that, he really didn't speak that much,' he said.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Minutes before gunfire erupted at Fort Stewart, the shooting suspect texted his family saying ‘I love y'all,' uncle says
Crime Gun violenceFacebookTweetLink Follow 'I just want y'all to know that I love y'all, and I tried my hardest to be the best I could be,' Sgt. Quornelius Samentrio Radford texted his relatives at least 20 minutes before he began shooting at fellow soldiers earlier this week at his military base in Georgia. 'My time is slowly coming to an end. I choose my destiny and my faith. I might not be with my mama, but I'm gonna be in a better place,' the enigmatic group text message read, his uncle, Joe Mitchell, told CNN affiliate WTLV. Radford, 28, wounded five of his peers at Fort Stewart Army base with a personal handgun before he was subdued by other soldiers nearby, authorities have said. All five soldiers are in stable condition, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said at a news conference Wednesday. 'Please don't talk like that,' one message in response to Radford said. 'Call me, don't talk like this bro,' another said. 'Don't do whatever going on, you gonna be okay,' a different family member wrote. But despite desperate pleas from family members, what unfolded after Radford's messages has left many loved ones with looming questions over what led up to the shooting, his motive, and how someone they know to be a kind and loving family guy could commit such violence. 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 and he had not deployed to a combat zone, Lubas, the general said. The native Floridian had been arrested for driving under the influence in May – an arrest his chain of command didn't know about before the incident, Lubas said. Radford had no known behavioral incidents in his military record, according to the general. A day before the shooting, Radford had a disagreement with one of the shooting victims, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case. It's unclear what the disagreement was about. He followed that coworker to a maintenance area on Wednesday and shot him in the chest before shooting four others. While Radford's motive remains unknown, details about his character and issues he faced in and out of the workplace have emerged from loved ones and former coworkers. His father, Eddie Radford, told The New York Times that he hadn't noticed any unusual behavior from his son recently and didn't know what might have motivated the shooting. He did, however, say his son had complained to the family about racism at Fort Stewart and had been seeking a transfer, according to the Times, which did not publish any specifics. CNN has reached out to Eddie Radford for more information. Fort Stewart declined to comment on the racism allegation and whether Radford had requested a transfer. 'The circumstances that led to the events (on Wednesday) are currently under investigation,' a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division told CNN. As Radford's military career began in 2018, so did relentless bullying over his stutter, two former coworkers told NBC. Sneh Patel, an attorney that represented Radford during his DUI case, also confirmed to CNN that 'he has a stuttering condition,' although he wouldn't disclose much more due to client-attorney privilege, he said. 'He got bullied a lot,' Sgt. Cameron Barrett, who became friends with Radford during an Army training program, told NBC. 'It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.' People would mock Radford by also pretending to have a stutter, Barrett said, adding the apparent speech impediment was a 'trigger' for Radford, but he endured the treatment by being silent, showing no signs of anger or resentment, Barrett and other soldiers told the network. CNN has reached out to those soldiers for more information. Since the shooting, Radford has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and is now sitting in pretrial confinement as he waits for a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, Lubas said Wednesday afternoon. As for his family, Mitchell told WTLV he's still asking himself questions, even days after the shooting. 'I was just one phone call away,' Mitchell said. 'I wish we could have talked about it, and it would have never happened. But we just leave it in God's hands.' CNN's Danya Gainor and Mark Morales contributed to this report.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Minutes before gunfire erupted at Fort Stewart, the shooting suspect texted his family saying ‘I love y'all,' uncle says
'I just want y'all to know that I love y'all, and I tried my hardest to be the best I could be,' Sgt. Quornelius Samentrio Radford texted his relatives at least 20 minutes before he began shooting at fellow soldiers earlier this week at his military base in Georgia. 'My time is slowly coming to an end. I choose my destiny and my faith. I might not be with my mama, but I'm gonna be in a better place,' the enigmatic group text message read, his uncle, Joe Mitchell, told CNN affiliate WTLV. Radford, 28, wounded five of his peers at Fort Stewart Army base with a personal handgun before he was subdued by other soldiers nearby, authorities have said. All five soldiers are in stable condition, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said at a news conference Wednesday. 'Please don't talk like that,' one message in response to Radford said. 'Call me, don't talk like this bro,' another said. 'Don't do whatever going on, you gonna be okay,' a different family member wrote. But despite desperate pleas from family members, what unfolded after Radford's messages has left many loved ones with looming questions over what led up to the shooting, his motive, and how someone they know to be a kind and loving family guy could commit such violence. 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 and he had not deployed to a combat zone, Lubas, the general said. The native Floridian had been arrested for driving under the influence in May – an arrest his chain of command didn't know about before the incident, Lubas said. Radford had no known behavioral incidents in his military record, according to the general. A day before the shooting, Radford had a disagreement with one of the shooting victims, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case. It's unclear what the disagreement was about. He followed that coworker to a maintenance area on Wednesday and shot him in the chest before shooting four others. While Radford's motive remains unknown, details about his character and issues he faced in and out of the workplace have emerged from loved ones and former coworkers. His father, Eddie Radford, told The New York Times that he hadn't noticed any unusual behavior from his son recently and didn't know what might have motivated the shooting. He did, however, say his son had complained to the family about racism at Fort Stewart and had been seeking a transfer, according to the Times, which did not publish any specifics. CNN has reached out to Eddie Radford for more information. Fort Stewart declined to comment on the racism allegation and whether Radford had requested a transfer. 'The circumstances that led to the events (on Wednesday) are currently under investigation,' a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division told CNN. As Radford's military career began in 2018, so did relentless bullying over his stutter, two former coworkers told NBC. Sneh Patel, an attorney that represented Radford during his DUI case, also confirmed to CNN that 'he has a stuttering condition,' although he wouldn't disclose much more due to client-attorney privilege, he said. 'He got bullied a lot,' Sgt. Cameron Barrett, who became friends with Radford during an Army training program, told NBC. 'It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.' People would mock Radford by also pretending to have a stutter, Barrett said, adding the apparent speech impediment was a 'trigger' for Radford, but he endured the treatment by being silent, showing no signs of anger or resentment, Barrett and other soldiers told the network. CNN has reached out to those soldiers for more information. Since the shooting, Radford has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and is now sitting in pretrial confinement as he waits for a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, Lubas said Wednesday afternoon. As for his family, Mitchell told WTLV he's still asking himself questions, even days after the shooting. 'I was just one phone call away,' Mitchell said. 'I wish we could have talked about it, and it would have never happened. But we just leave it in God's hands.' CNN's Danya Gainor and Mark Morales contributed to this report.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Fellow soldiers say suspect in Fort Stewart was being bullied for a stutter and ‘he could barely talk'
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, the soldier accused of opening fire at Fort Stewart in Georgia on Wednesday, wounding five people, was persistently bullied over his stutter in his early military career, former colleagues say. Radford, 28, was reportedly mocked for his speech impediment during the roughly two months he spent in 2018 at the Army's Advanced Individual Training school at Fort Lee in Virginia. 'He got bullied a lot,' Sgt. Cameron Barrett, who became friends with Radford during that time, told NBC News. 'It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.' Despite the alleged harassment, Barrett and other fellow soldiers said Radford never showed signs of anger, resentment, or deeper issues, the outlet reported. Those who knew him described the logistics sergeant as quiet but capable of a playful, lighthearted side. 'It was easy for those people to make fun of him for the way he spoke,' Sgt. Carlos Coleman, who trained alongside Radford, told the outlet. 'After that, he really didn't speak that much.' 'I just saw him get quiet,' he added. 'I've never seen him angry. That's why I'm so surprised.' The news that Radford was identified as the suspect in the Wednesday morning shooting shocked those who had served with him. Barrett said he even messaged Radford on Snapchat to check on him after reports of an active shooter, but received no reply. According to Army officials, Radford allegedly used a personal handgun to open fire shortly before 11 a.m., injuring five members of his unit in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Three of the victims were released from hospitals the same day, while two women remained hospitalized as of Thursday. Both are in a stable condition. Authorities have not said whether the victims were Radford's subordinates or superiors, and a motive remains unclear. Radford's alleged shooting spree ended when fellow soldiers tackled and subdued him. Barrett and Coleman agree that something else must have happened to Radford, as the bullying from his early military days happened years ago. 'I have questions, too,' Coleman said. 'I just want to know what pushed him to that point.' Coleman noted Radford's final Facebook post on January 28, where he shared profound lingering sadness over losing a loved one in a wrong-way crash. 'I remember I couldn't speak after hearing that,' Radford posted in a screenshot that Coleman shared with NBC News. Radford reportedly continued that he coped with his pain by crying and drinking, describing the lost loved one as a source of comfort who cared about his well-being. 'I know you tried to keep me on a good path when I was hanging out in the streets,' Radford wrote. 'I remember the nights you were scared when I was going down that road, and I'm truly sorry for putting you through that.' Radford remains in custody and has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division as the investigation continues.
