Active-Duty Soldier Shoots Five at Fort Stewart, Prompting Heroic Response

Fort Stewart, Georgia — An active-duty soldier, Sgt. Quornelius Radford, is accused of shooting five fellow servicemembers on Wednesday at Fort Stewart military base. The shooting occurred during a duty day, and authorities say the suspect opened fire with a personal handgun around 11 a.m. ET.

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Joshua Arnold was in a conference room when he heard gunfire. He immediately ran down the hall and found a wounded soldier on the ground. Nearby, Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor, a former combat medic, rushed to help.

According to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, unarmed soldiers tackled Radford and stopped the attack. Staff Sgt. Aaron Turner, who was unarmed, first engaged the suspect while he was trying to reload his weapon.

“I was able to disarm him, drop the magazine and eject the round,” Turner said. His quick action prevented more serious casualties among the soldiers.

Brig. Gen. John Lubas reported that Radford’s motive is currently unclear, although witnesses suggested he had a prior disagreement with one victim. Witnesses described soldiers immediately tackling the shooter and said their responses prevented further injuries.

Investigators say Radford used a 9mm Glock he purchased in Florida and had no known behavioral issues in his military record, although he had been arrested on suspicion of DUI in May. He was out on bond when the shooting occurred.

In the wake of the attack, Secretary Driscoll awarded the Meritorious Service Medal to Arnold, Taylor, Turner, and two other soldiers for their courageous actions. “They ran into battle to the sound of the gunfire,” Driscoll said.

As of Thursday morning, two of the injured soldiers remained hospitalized, but all five are expected to recover. Local and military authorities are investigating how Radford brought a personal firearm onto the base, as this is typically prohibited.

Radford is in custody and awaits transfer to a military detention center as the investigation continues. Army officials are looking into additional details about his background and any potential factors that may have led to the incident.