An active duty soldier opened fire at an Army base in Georgia on Wednesday, injuring five service members before he was subdued by witnesses and taken into custody, a military official said.
The gunman was identified as Quornelius Radford, an automated logistics sergeant, according to John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield.
The injured soldiers are expected to recover, Lubas said.
Here’s what we know:
The shooting
Gunfire erupted at the sergeant's workplace — the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area — shortly before 11 a.m., Lubas said.
Radford, 28, is believed to have opened fire with a personal handgun, Lubas said.
Lubas said it isn't clear what prompted the shooting, but witnesses quickly intervened and stopped the suspect.
"Soldiers in the area that witnessed the shooting immediately and without hesitation tackled the soldier, subdued him," Lubas said. "That allowed law enforcement to then take him into custody."
The base said earlier that the suspect was taken into custody at 11:35 a.m.
The base, 40 miles southwest of Savannah, was put on lockdown at 11:04 a.m. Those safety protocols were lifted a little over an hour later, the base said in a statement.
The victims
The five soldiers who were shot were not identified, though Lubas said they were co-workers of Radford's.
The soldiers were treated on site before being moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further care, the base said in a statement earlier.
Three required surgery, and two were taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Lubas said.
"Thankfully, all are in stable condition, and all are expected to recover," Lubas said.
The suspect
After Radford was subdued and arrested, Lubas said, he was interviewed by the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division and placed in pre-trial confinement while he awaits a charging decision.
It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Radford has not previously deployed to combat, Lubas said.
An arrest report from Liberty County, Georgia, shows that Radford was arrested in May on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.
Lubas said the arrest was unknown to Radford's chain of command. They only became aware of the incident when they began searching law enforcement databases after the shooting, he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Comments