Fort Stewart Shooting: What Happened to Quornelius Radford?

Overview of the Incident

A United States Army sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia on Wednesday, injuring five fellow soldiers before being subdued and arrested by others on the base. Military officials confirmed that all five soldiers are in stable condition and are expected to recover, though three of them underwent surgery.

Timeline of Events

Law enforcement responded to reports of a possible shooting in the area of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team at 10:56am local time (14:56 GMT). The base was placed on lockdown shortly after 11:04am (15:04 GMT), and the suspected gunman was apprehended 39 minutes after shots were fired, at 11:35am (15:35 GMT). The attack came to an end when other soldiers tackled and subdued the attacker.

All five soldiers received initial treatment at the scene before being transported to Winn Army Community Hospital for treatment. Two of them were later transferred to Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, for further care.

Location of the Incident

The attack took place in Fort Stewart, which is the largest US Army base east of the Mississippi River. Located on the southeastern coast of Georgia, in Hinesville, the base is about 40 miles (64km) southwest of Savannah. According to a fact sheet from Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield, the installation hosts approximately 21,200 full-time soldiers, 4,350 civilian and contractor staff, and more than 19,000 military retirees.

The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the division consists of roughly 4,000 soldiers and is equipped with a range of heavy weaponry, including battle tanks. This brigade has experienced multiple fatal incidents this year. In January, two soldiers from the brigade died in a training accident near the base when their vehicle overturned into standing water. In late March, four more soldiers from the brigade were killed in Lithuania after their armored recovery vehicle sank into a bog. Their remains were not recovered for nearly a week.

Details About the Suspect

The suspect, identified as Quornelius Radford, 28, is a US Army sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart. Officials stated that Radford was never deployed to a combat zone. He is currently in pretrial confinement awaiting a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel.

According to Brigadier-General John Lubas, the base commander, the weapon used was a personal handgun, not a military one. Radford, born in Jacksonville, Florida, joined the army in 2018. His role involved handling supplies and warehouse operations.

Reports indicate that Radford had a disagreement with one of the victims the day before the incident. He arrived at the base that morning with a 9mm handgun purchased in Florida in May. According to CNN, he followed one victim to a maintenance area and shot them in the chest before opening fire on four others. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

Lubas mentioned that Radford had no known behavioral issues in his military record but had been arrested for driving under the influence in May—an incident his chain of command was unaware of before the shooting.

Eddie Radford, 52, his father, said in an interview with The New York Times that he hadn’t seen anything unusual about his son’s behavior recently. “It’s hard for me to process,” he said. He added that his son had been trying to get a transfer and had told his family about experiencing racism at Fort Stewart.

General Lubas confirmed that the shooting involved his co-workers. “What we know is the soldier, the shooting occurred at the soldier’s place of work. It did involve his co-workers,” Lubas said. “We’re still not certain about the motivations.”

Current Status and Comparison to Mass Shootings in the US

The base was locked down at about 11am local time (15:00 GMT), but the restriction was lifted at 12:10pm (16:10 GMT). According to the nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive, there have been 262 mass shootings in the US so far this year. The group defines a “mass shooting” as a shooting that has injured or killed four or more people, not including the attacker.

This figure marks a decline compared with the trend at this point in previous years. In total, the group recorded:

• 689 mass shootings in 2021.
• 644 in 2022.
• 659 in 2023.
• 503 in 2024.