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 said.
According to Brigadier-General John Lubas, the base commander, all five soldiers are in a stable condition and are expected to recover, but three of them underwent surgery.
Here is what we know about the shooting:
What happened in Georgia?
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.
Where did it happen?
The attack took place in Fort Stewart. The largest US Army base east of the Mississippi River, according to the US Defense Department, it is located on the southeastern coast of Georgia, in Hinesville, a town about 40 miles (64km) southwest of Savannah.
According to a Fort Stewart–Hunter Army Airfield fact sheet, the installation hosts approximately 21,200 full-time soldiers, 4,350 civilian and contractor staff, and more than 19,000 military retirees.
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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.
The brigade has suffered 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 armoured recovery vehicle sank into a bog. Their remains were not recovered for nearly a week.
What do we know about the suspect, Quornelius Radford?
Lubas, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, identified the suspected gunman as Quornelius Radford, 28, a US Army sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart.
Officials said that Radford was never deployed to a combat zone.
“Sergeant Radford … is currently in pretrial confinement awaiting a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel,” Lubas said.
“I can confirm it was not a military weapon, and we believe it was a personal handgun,” he added.
Radford, born in Jacksonville, Florida, joined the army in 2018. His role involved handling supplies and warehouse operations.
The suspect reportedly got into a disagreement with one of the victims the day before.
According to reports, he arrived at the base that morning with a 9mm handgun purchased in Florida in May. CNN reported that 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 said that Radford had no known behavioural issues in his military record. But, he said that he 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 behaviour recently. “It’s hard for me to process.”
He said 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.”
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What’s the latest at the scene, and how does this compare with 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.
There have been 262 American mass shootings in 42 different states (and Washington D.C.) in the 218 days of 2025.https://t.co/2OhPFpsw7r pic.twitter.com/HFfbWt2UFu
— The Gun Violence Archive (@GunDeaths) August 7, 2025