This story was updated at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025.
An Army sergeant who is accused of opening fire on five of his fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia Wednesday used his personal weapon in the shooting, according to the installation’s commanding general.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, who was assigned to a unit within the second Brigade Combat Team, allegedly shot five soldiers late Wednesday morning, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the installation’s commanding general. All five victims were in stable condition.
Lubas, the installation’s commanding general, said other soldiers were able to physically subdue Radford until law enforcement officers arrived and took Radford into custody nearly 40 minutes later.
“The shooting occurred at the soldier’s place of work. It did involve his co-workers,” Lubas told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “We’re still not certain about the motivations, but again, he’s been interviewed by Army investigators, and we believe we’ll gain more information here shortly.”
Lubas said the weapon used in the shooting is believed to be a personal handgun, but he said he said how the firearm ended up at the workplace is still under investigation.
“I’m very confident in the security of this installation. We’ve got a great partnership with local law enforcement,” Lubas said. “As you can see here at our gates, we have armed guards in protective equipment.
“This one’s a bit difficult, and we’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of place of duty,” he said.
Law enforcement was dispatched for a possible shooting at 10:56 a.m., the base was placed on lock down at 11:04, medical personnel were dispatched at 11:09 and a suspect was apprehended at 11:35 a.m.
Fort Stewart is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River and is home to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and about 10,000 troops and family members. It is located in Hinesville about 40 miles southwest of Savannah.
Georgia leaders including Gov. Brian Kemp denounced the shooter and offered thanks for the law enforcement and emergency personnel.
“As we remain in close contact with law enforcement on the ground, Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by today’s tragedy at Ft. Stewart,” Kemp said in a statement on social media. “We are keeping the victims, their families, and all those who answer the call to serve in our hearts and prayers, and we ask that Georgians everywhere do the same.”
The base is represented by Republican Congressman Buddy Carter, who offered a statement in support of the victims and first responders.
Georgia Democratic Congressman Sanford Bishop said the effects of the attack will reverberate beyond Georgia.
“The events today will not only be felt at Fort Stewart but across our entire military,” Bishop said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the casualties and all those impacted by this unfortunate occurrence.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal law enforcement agents are providing support.
“The entire nation is praying for the victims and their families, and hopefully they’ll fully recover, and we can put this chapter behind but we’re not going to forget what happened,” Trump said.
‘We’re all stunned’
Fort Stewart is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River and is home to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and about 10,000 troops and family members. It is located in Hinesville about 40 miles southwest of Savannah.
The installation is a major part of the local economy and culture, said Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah Republican whose district includes Fort Stewart.
“Over 60% of the families live off base, and so the community has heavy military presence here, from retirees to active duty to families and Fort Stewart has school facilities on the base, and certainly also they attend schools outside, they shop outside, they recreate outside, and they’re just within our community,” Watson said.
That community has been shaken by the incident, said state Rep. Al Williams, a Midway Democrat who also represents Fort Stewart.
“This base is an integral part of us here in Liberty County,” he said. “We have a close relationship with the military and the leadership. So we’re all stunned.”
Georgia leaders including Gov. Brian Kemp denounced the shooter and offered thanks for law enforcement and emergency personnel.
“As we remain in close contact with law enforcement on the ground, Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by today’s tragedy at Ft. Stewart,” Kemp said in a statement on social media. “We are keeping the victims, their families, and all those who answer the call to serve in our hearts and prayers, and we ask that Georgians everywhere do the same.”
Georgia Democratic Congressman Sanford Bishop said the effects of the attack will reverberate beyond Georgia.
“The events today will not only be felt at Fort Stewart but across our entire military,” Bishop said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the casualties and all those impacted by this unfortunate occurrence.”
On-base firearm policies
Lubas said the weapon used in the shooting is believed to be a personal handgun, but how the firearm ended up at the workplace on a restrictive military installation is still under investigation.
“This one’s a bit difficult, and we’re going to have to determine how he was able to get a handgun to his place of duty,” Lubas said.
Georgia has seen several headline-grabbing mass shootings over the years, including the 2021 spa shootings in Atlanta and Cherokee County that killed eight and last year’s deadly attack at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, which claimed four lives.
Those shootings ignited debate over Georgia’s gun laws, which favor access to firearms over proposed safety restrictions.
But unlike earlier mass shootings, Wednesday’s attack took place on a military base, which is subject to strict regulations on weapons. Carrying private weapons is generally prohibited on base and troops are required to register their weapons and ammunition and keep them locked up in a secure arms room.
“It is a little counterintuitive sometimes to think, you know, it’s an Army base, everybody’s walking around with their assigned weapon and all that. But that’s not the case,” said state Rep. Josh Bonner, a Fayetteville Republican who has served in the Army and the Army Reserve and who chairs the House Defense and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“In fact, the soldiers other than the law enforcement personnel are actually prohibited from carrying firearms in their vehicles or on their person, unless they’re in some type of training scenario where they’ve drawn their weapons out of the arms room.”
It’s not yet clear why Radford had access to a personal weapon at the time of the attack. Lubas said Wednesday that “we don’t have any reason to believe it had anything to do with a training event.”
In the wake of the shooting, some gun rights supporters have proposed easing restrictions to allow troops to carry weapons for their protection, but that would require federal action, Bonner said.
“That is something that has been looked at and debated a number of times,” Bonner said. “Of course, that’s not a state issue. It’s a federal issue when it comes to that federal property, and so far, neither the DOD nor Congress has come up with any viable solution to that.”
Georgia Recorder Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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