The U.S. sergeant accused of shooting and wounding five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia has been identified as a Jacksonville, Florida man.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, was an automated logistics noncommissioned officer with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team according to U.S. Army officials at the post, when they say he opened fire on his coworkers with his personal handgun just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Radford was quickly tackled and subdued, Army Brig. Gen. John Lubas, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart, said at a news conference. The wounded soldiers are in stable condition and expected to recover, he said.
Radford was taken to Liberty County Jail in nearby Hinesville and will likely be transferred to a military detention facility, according to Criminal Investigation Division Regional Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor.
Radford had recently been arrested in Liberty County, where the base is, for reportedly driving under the influence, Lubas said, but “that was unknown to his chain of command until the [shooting] occurred.”
Here’s what we know so far.
Fort Stewart shooting: Army sergeant in custody after 5 soldiers shot at Fort Stewart; motive remains unknown
Who is Quornelius Radford, the accused Fort Stewart shooter?
Radford first joined the Army in January 2018, CNN reported, and was assigned to Fort Stewart in 2022. Army officials said he has never been deployed.
His position, automated logistical specialist, is tasked with performing maintenance management and warehouse functions, overseeing incoming supplies and equipment, and maintaining equipment records, according to the Army.
Radford, who also goes by Quan according to his Facebook account, attended Ed White High in Jacksonville and does not appear in any court records in Duval, Clay, Nassau or St. Johns counties, according to a Florida Times-Union search.
On May 18, Georgia State Patrol arrested Radford on suspicions of driving under the influence and running a red light in Liberty County in a 2021 Nissan Ultima registered in Florida, according to court records. He was due to appear in court on Aug. 20.
Georgia state court records in Glynn County, about an hour south of Fort Stewart, showed that he was also fined $90 for speeding on Dec. 13, 2024.
What was the Fort Stewart shooter’s motive?
“We’re still not certain about the motivation,” Lubas said at the news conference. Officials said they were not aware of any previous disciplinary or behavorial issues but Lubas stressed it was early in the investigation.
CNN reported on Aug. 6 that according to a law enforcement official, Radford allegedly got into a disagreement with one of the victims the day before the shooting. He arrived at the base armed with a 9mm gun he bought in Florida in May, followed the victim to a maintenance area and shot him, the official said, and then shot four more people before he was taken down.
Officials were uncertain how Radford got a personal weapon onto the base. “We’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of duty,” Gen. Lubas said.
Before the shooting, Radford allegedly sent his aunt a text message saying “he loved everybody, and that he;’ll be in a better place because he was abouit to go and do something,” his father, Eddie Radford, told The New York Times.
Jacksonville resident Eddie Radford told the Times that his son, who is Black, had been complaining about racism at Fort Stewart and said he was seeking a transfer. He also said that his son had struggled in the past with depression after the loss of his mother as a child.
Contributors: Michael Loria, Davis Winkie, Jeanine Santucci, Christopher Cann, Ansley Franco, Thao Nguyen, Amanda Lee Myers, Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fort Stewart GA shooter suspect Quornelius Radford is from Florida
