FORT STEWART - The fast actions of a handful of soldiers likely prevented other soldiers from getting hurt or killed in a mass shooting incident, Army leaders said Thursday morning.
Five soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team were wounded when a gunman – a fellow soldier – opened fire Wednesday morning. Three of those wounded have been released from the hospital.
Other soldiers subdued the suspected gunmen until law enforcement arrived. The suspect has been identified as Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28. Authorities allege Radford used his own handgun to shoot other soldiers.
“They ran to the sound of the gunfire, took down the assailant and then took care of their comrades,” said Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who also visited with the soldiers who were shot and their families. “They tackled somebody, an armed person, who was actively shooting their fellow soldiers.”
Driscoll awarded six soldiers with the Meritorious Service Medal in a ceremony in front of the brigade headquarters. First Sgt. Joshua Arnold was recognized for providing immediate aid, stopping the bleeding of a wounded soldier. Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor, who works in the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion’s retention office and is a former medic, secured the immediate area for emergency services and ensured soldiers were taken to the hospital. Staff Sgt. Robert Pacheco and Sgt. Eve Rodarte, each a combat medic, rendered aid to wounded soldiers. Sgt. Aaron Turner restrained the shooter until more help and law enforcement arrived. Master Sgt. Justin Thomas helped Turner pin down the shooter.
“It is a day that could have gone much worse if not for you and your colleagues,” Driscoll told the soldiers. “The heroism shown under fire is something we should all aspire to show.”
Turner had been assigned to the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, serving overseas in the Middle East, before coming to Fort Stewart. He also had been an infantryman before changing military occupational specialties.
“My training ended up kicking in,” he said.
One soldier remains hospitalized at Winn Army Community Hospital and is expected to be released soon. Another soldier is at Memorial Health University Center in Savannah and is expected to recover.
“The fast actions of these solders under stress absolutely saved loss from being lost,” Driscoll said.
The Army is not releasing the names of those who were wounded in the incident.
Army Criminal Investigation Department agents are investigating why the shooting took place and how a firearm was brought on to the base.
“We do not want something like this to happen again on an Army base,” Driscoll said.
CID special agent in charge Ryan O’Connor said investigators continue to process the scene. Bringing a personal firearm onto the base is not allowed, he said.
Driscoll also praised how quickly other law enforcement and emergency personnel showed up to assist Fort Stewart.
“We are so grateful for the community that showed up en masse to support us,” he said.
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said it was “an incredibly fast response” as a result of the post’s training.
A first call went out at 10:56 a.m., triggering responses from the base’s emergency services and from local civilian authorities. An initial lockdown was issued at 11:04 by the garrison commander and the directorate of emergency services.
At 11:09, emergency personnel were dispatched to treat the wounded and at 11:35, the shooter was apprehended, Brig. Gen. Lubas said.
Driscoll also urged the soldiers who may be dealing with psychological effects from the shooting to seek help, which will be available to them.
“These kinds of moments, the trauma from them often doesn’t hit for weeks and months,” he said.
Radford was taken to Liberty County Jail and remains there until he can be transferred to a federal facility. He has not been formally charged yet. Radford was cited for driving under the influence in May.
