US Army sergeant shot five soldiers at Georgia’s Fort Stewart, official says

A US Army sergeant shot five soldiers on Wednesday at one the country’s largest Army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said.

Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but officials said the gunman was Sgt Quornelius Radford, 28, who used a personal handgun, not a military firearm.

Radford opened fire where he worked but officials would not speculate about a motive, authorities said.

The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, said Brig Gen John Lubas. The soldiers who tackled Radford helped ensure his arrest, he said.

“These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties or wounded,” he said.

The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there was no threat to the community.

Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11am local time on Wednesday.

Radford was arrested at 11.35am, officials said.

The lockdown lasted about an hour, and three schools just outside the base took steps similar to a lockdown as well, “out of an abundance of caution”, the Liberty County School System said.

After the lockdown was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort’s main gate.

Army records released to The Associated Press show that Radford enlisted in January 2018. He worked as a supply sergeant and has not been deployed.

Radford faced an August 20 hearing in Hinesville, a small town near the base, on accusations of driving under the influence and going through a red light just after 1am on May 18, according to a citation and court filing.

He was given a blood test and freed on a 1,818-dollar (£1,362) bond, the documents said.

His lawyer in the traffic case did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The army’s 2nd Armoured 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 south west of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest army post east of the Mississippi River.

It is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the army’s 3rd Infantry Division and family members.

The fort’s three elementary schools were locked down, community superintendent Brian Perry told WTOC-TV.

The schools have nearly 1,400 students, according to the Department of Defence.

White House and Defence Department officials said President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had been briefed on the shooting.

The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said deputy director Dan Bongino.