Five soldiers were shot Wednesday at Fort Stewart in Georgia, prompting a short lockdown at one of the country’s largest Army bases before a suspect was taken into custody, military officials said.
Three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News the person who allegedly opened fire at Fort Stewart in Georgia this morning is Quornelius Radford. The alleged shooter has prior ties to Florida, the officials said. Brig. Gen. John Lubas, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, said the suspect is an active duty sergeant.
Lubas said soldiers tackled the shooter, ending the attack. He said the injured soldiers are stable and recovering.
Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but this latest act of violence on a U.S. military installation — sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country — again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces’ own walls.
The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there’s no threat to the community.
Some of the wounded were also taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said spokesperson Bryna Gordon. The hospital is the top-level trauma center for coastal Georgia. Gordon said she didn’t know how many people were being taken to the hospital or what their conditions are.
Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The shooter was arrested at 11:35 a.m., officials said.
The lockdown lasted about an hour. After it was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort’s main gate.
The Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team was created in 2016 when the service added more than 200 vehicles to an infantry unit of roughly 4,200 soldiers. Also known as the “Spartan Brigade,” the Army has called the unit its “most modern land fighting force.”
Located about 40 miles southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It’s home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and family members.
White House and Defense Department officials said President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth had been briefed on the shooting.
The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he’s in close touch with police on the scene at Fort Stewart.
“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.
“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.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said that he was closely monitoring the situation at Fort Stewart.
“I’m heartbroken to see the news of an active shooter incident at Fort Stewart today. I’m monitoring the situation closely and join all of Georgia as we pray for the safety of our servicemembers, staff, and their families,” Warnock said in a post on X.
This is not the first serious shooting incident at Fort Stewart. An Army sergeant was killed at the base in 2022.
Sgt. Nathan M. Hillman, a 30-year-old from Plum, Pennsylvania, and an Afghanistan veteran, died during the shooting on Dec. 12, 2022. Spc. Shay A. Wilson is facing a murder charge and his case is still pending.
Among the deadliest acts of violence on U.S. military bases was a 2009 attack. A U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people in a shooting that left more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas.
In 2013, a defense contract worker and former Navy reservist killed 12 people at Washington Navy Yard. He was then killed in a gun battle with police.
In 2014, a soldier opened fire on his fellow service members at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others before the gunman killed himself.
In 2019, an aviation student opened fire in a classroom at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and injuring another dozen people including two sheriff’s deputies. Just days earlier, a U.S. Navy sailor shot two people to death before killing himself at Pearl Harbor, the Naval station in Hawaii.
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