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What we know
- Five soldiers were shot at Fort Stewart, Georgia, this morning. All victims are stable, officials said.
- Officials identified the suspect as Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28. No motive was announced.
- The gunfire prompted the base commander to lock down facilities. The lockdown was fully lifted in the afternoon.
- The Army base is about 40 miles southwest of Savannah.
Who is Quornelius Radford? What we know about the Fort Stewart shooting suspect
The soldier accused of shooting five other service members at Fort Stewart today is a 28-year-old who has been assigned to the Georgia base for around three years, officials said.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, an automated logistics sergeant from Jacksonville, Florida, is accused of opening fire shortly before 11 a.m.
Radford used a personal handgun, and the shooting involved people he worked with, said the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield commander, Brig. Gen. John Lubas.
“What we know is this soldier, the shooting occurred at the soldier’s place of work. It did involve his co-workers,” Lubas told reporters today. “We’re still not certain about the motivations.”
Defense Secretary Hegseth promises 'swift justice' for shooter
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that he is praying for the victims of the shooting at Fort Stewart today and that "swift justice be brought to the perpetrator."
The shooting left five "brave Soldiers" wounded, Hegseth said on social media.
"Our prayers are with them, their families, and the entire Fort Stewart community in the aftermath of this attack," said Hegseth, who thanked "the law enforcement heroes who charged into danger."
He said anyone else found to be involved will be brought to justice.
Combat soldier recalls being on lockdown in armory
Shane Labbé, a truck mechanic with the Third Brigade at Fort Stewart, was among soldiers locked down in the armory when a man opened fire this morning, his father, Robert Conrad Labbé, told NBC News.
After he got word of the incident, he called his son, worried.
"We're combat infantry soldiers, and they got us locked in a room," Robert Conrad Labbé recalled Shane telling him on the phone, noting the irony of the situation.
Noting that they were locked in the armory, Robert Conrad Labbé said he responded by telling his son, "Well, I guess you're going to be safe, because if he breaks in there, at least, you'll be able to fight back" using the weapons stored inside.
When the lockdown lifted, Shane Labbé called his dad again and reported that most people were trying to leave the base, leading to standstill traffic on the one open road out.
Trump calls Fort Stewart shooting an 'atrocity'
Trump called the Fort Stewart shooting an “atrocity” and said the shooter would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The entire nation is praying for the victims and their families, and hopefully they’ll fully recover,” Trump said at the White House.
“We’re going to take very good care of this person that did this, horrible person,” he said.
Mayor of Savannah discusses tragic shooting at Fort Stewart
Van Johnson, the mayor of Savannah, discusses the relationship between the military base and the civilian population.
Shooter was from Florida and had no deployments
The suspect, Sgt. Quornelius Samentrio Radford, is from Jacksonville, Florida, and joined the Army in January 2018, officials said.
Radford, 28, is listed as an automated logistical specialist, assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart, records showed.
He has had no deployments.
Fort Stewart shooting raises questions about base security and response protocols
After a soldier allegedly opened fire on his own unit at Fort Stewart, fellow soldiers subdued and detained him until authorities arrived, highlighting both the rapid response by troops and ongoing concerns over base security.
Suspect had local DUI that wasn't reported to his chain of command
The suspect, Sgt. Quornelius Radford, had once been arrested by local authorities on suspicion of drunken driving — but his commanding officers had not known about that incident, officials said.
"I do believe he was arrested locally for a DUI that was unknown to his chain of command until the event occurred," Brig. Gen. John Lubas said.
Witnesses acted fast to subdue shooter
Soldiers who witnessed the shooting jumped the suspect and prevented anyone else from being harmed, officials said.
"Soldiers in the area that witnessed the shooting immediately, and without hesitation, tackled the soldier, subdued him, and allowed law enforcement to then take him into custody," Brig. Gen. John Lubas said.
All victims are stable; suspect was active-duty sergeant
All the victims were listed as stable this afternoon and are expected to survive, officials said.
The victims were all shot with a personal weapon — not a military weapon — that belonged to the suspect, Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said.
