Fort Stewart Shooting Signals Rising Military Base Attacks

Recent Violence at U.S. Military Bases

An Army sergeant shot and wounded five fellow soldiers on August 6 at Fort Stewart, a military base in Georgia. This incident is part of a troubling trend of violent events occurring at U.S. military bases over the years. The base was placed on lockdown shortly after 11 a.m. local time following reports of an active shooter. The suspect, identified as Sgt. Quornelius Radford, a 28-year-old automated logistics noncommissioned officer, was subdued by other soldiers and taken into custody.

The shooting occurred in an area associated with the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. According to Army Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart, all five injured soldiers are in stable condition and expected to recover.

This event marks the second such incident in recent years within the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team's workspace. In December 2022, a soldier shot and killed Sgt. Nathan Hillman in the unit's building complex.

Notable Military Base Shootings Since 2000

Here are some significant incidents involving shootings at U.S. military bases since 2000:

Fort Hood, Texas – November 5, 2009

On November 5, 2009, U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist, entered the Readiness Processing Center building at Fort Hood, Texas, and opened fire. He killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others. Hasan targeted soldiers in uniform and reportedly avoided civilians. He was shot by civilian police Sgt. Mark Todd, who paralyzed him from the waist down and stopped the rampage.

Hasan was later convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death but remains in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, awaiting execution after multiple appeals. In March 2025, the Supreme Court denied his final petition for review, confirming his death sentence. Hasan was motivated by Islamic extremism and opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Washington Navy Yard, D.C. – September 16, 2013

On September 16, 2013, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis entered Building 197 of the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in Washington, D.C., carrying a disassembled sawed-off shotgun. After reassembling the weapon, he began shooting, killing 12 and injuring eight others. Alexis used a 9mm Beretta M9 pistol to exchange fire with police before being shot and killed by D.C. Police Emergency Response Team officer Dorian DeSantis.

All victims were civilians or contractors, not military personnel. Alexis had previously served in the Navy and was honorably discharged in 2011. After leaving the Navy, he received secret-level security clearance and worked as a subcontractor. No definitive motive was determined, though it was reported that he believed he was being controlled by low-frequency electromagnetic waves.

Fort Hood, Texas – April 14, 2014

Fort Hood was again the scene of a mass-casualty shooting on April 14, 2014. Army Specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, entered the Transportation Battalion administrative office and began shooting with a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson M&P pistol, injuring three soldiers. He then drove and walked through the base, ultimately killing three and injuring 16 before shooting himself in the head when confronted by a military police officer.

Lopez had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for depression and anxiety and was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour in Iraq where he saw no combat.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii – December 4, 2019

On December 4, 2019, 22-year-old Gabriel A. Romero opened fire at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam naval shipyard in Honolulu, Hawaii. He shot three Department of Defense civilian workers, killing two, before killing himself. The shooting occurred days before an event commemorating the 78th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. No formal motive was identified, according to a Navy investigation. A military official stated that Romero was unhappy with his commanders and had been undergoing counseling.

Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida – December 6, 2019

On December 6, 2019, a mass shooting took place at Pensacola's Naval Aviation Schools Command. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force, was visiting the base as part of a training program when he opened fire in a classroom building with a 9mm Glock. He killed three U.S. Navy sailors and injured eight others before being shot and killed by Escambia County sheriff’s deputies and the base's security force.

In January 2020, the Department of Justice labeled the attack as an act of jihadist terrorism, and al-Qaeda claimed credit for the killings a month later. The FBI confirmed the involvement of terrorist groups.