Army honors Fort Stewart soldiers who subdued suspected gunman

Our live coverage has ended. You can read more about the soldiers who subdued the suspected gunman and the investigation into the shooting here.

The Fort Stewart soldier who grabbed and subdued the suspect in yesterday’s mass shooting on base said Quornelius Radford was trying to reload his personal weapon during the struggle.

Another solider, Master Sgt. Justin Thomas, helped restrain Radford, giving Turner the ability to take the gun away.

“I was able to disarm him, drop the magazine and eject the round,” said Turner.

Turner said he tried to talk Radford down before physically restraining him. “Clearly that wasn’t working, and I ended up having to go hands-on to try and disengage,” he said.

It was a shock to the unit to see a comrade arrested, Turner said.

“Knowing the fact that it’s a teammate, it never ends up getting to the point where you really process that,” said Turner.

Army officials have credited Turner’s actions with preventing more casualties. Turner is one of the six soldiers awarded a medal for his actions during the shooting.

Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor, a career counselor at Fort Stewart in Georgia, said she reenlisted the suspected shooter Quornelius Radford, but no red flags were raised at the time.

Taylor, one of the six soldiers honored for responding to the mass shooting, told CNN’s Pamela Brown that she did not know Radford personally but, “As the career counselor, the soldier had talked to me about reenlistment previously.”

She noted that other than the contractual part of reenlistment and “the work part of it, I do not believe that the soldier ever spoke to me about anything personal. So I did not have any kind of background history on him.”

She said there were no red flags when he was reenlisted. “You cannot reenlist a soldier if there was any kind of flag in place or anything like that. So, he met all the criteria at the time,” she said.

The soldiers who helped stopped yesterday’s mass shooting at Fort Stewart, Georgia, have been identified by Army officials.

Staff Sgt. Aaron Turner of Farmington, New Mexico, was the first to subdue suspect Quornelious Radford, with Master Sgt. Justin Thomas from Kingwood, Texas, helping to keep him restrained, according to the Army.

Turner, an automated logistical specialist, has been at Fort Stewart for less than a year, the Army said.

He was unarmed when he took down Radford, according to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

“The fast action of these soldiers under stress and under fire absolutely saved lives from being lost,” Driscoll said.

Additional assistance came from Staff Sgt. Robert Pacheco and Sgt. Eve Rodarte, base officials told CNN. They are both combat medics who specialize in responding to medical emergencies.

Watch Army Secretary Dan Driscoll award medals to soldiers who helped halt yesterday’s shooting by subduing the suspect who wounded five people in a shooting at Fort Stewart:

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Army awards medals to soldiers who subdued suspect in Fort Stewart shooting

01:56 • Source: WJCL

Army awards medals to soldiers who subdued suspect in Fort Stewart shooting

01:56 • WJCL

Staff Sgt. Melissa Taylor, one of the six soldiers awarded a medal for their actions during yesterday’s shooting at Fort Stewart, said she was in her office when she heard a fellow soldier “yelling that a gunshot went off,” before she peered into the hallway and saw smoke.

Asked if she was scared during those moments, Taylor said, “not at that time.”

Taylor credited adrenaline, her seven years of experience as a combat medic and working for a county’s emergency medical services.

“So, I have been in these type of situations before where I’ve had to render aid to someone with gunshot wounds. So I had a little bit of experience I believe helped get me through that situation,” Taylor said.

One of the soldiers who sprang into action in the moments after a suspect opened fire at Fort Stewart on Wednesday explained in his own words what he heard and did during the attack.

US Army 1st Sergeant Joshua Arnold, one of the six soldiers awarded medals for responding to the shooting, said when he first heard the gunshots, it took a moment for him to realize what was happening – but then his training kicked in.

“It seemed like a flash went past my conference room,” Arnold told CNN.

As the suspect ran away, Arnold said he saw smoke and a shell case on the ground. Then he saw a soldier who had been shot.

He rushed to help the soldier, who told him someone else had been injured, Arnold said. He said he was able to find later and help them, too.

Arnold said he and other combat medics provided aid until EMS arrived and continued helping the injured.

The gunshots were being fired by a fellow service member, but Arnold said he didn’t think about that in the moment.

“You don’t really know how to process that in that moment,” Arnold said, adding that he instead focused on taking care of the people around him.

In the aftermath of the attack, Arnold said he’s focused on helping his fellow soldiers.

“Of course, friends were shot. Bad things happen, and I’m going to continue to take care of my soldiers and continue to move forward,” he said.

Lt. Col. Mike Sanford speaks during a press conference at Fort Stewart on Thursday.

The Army soldiers who responded to the scene of yesterday’s mass shooting at Fort Stewart had to treat the situation as though they were training for war, the battalion commander said in a news conference.

Sanford said he knew the suspect, Quornelius Radford. Asked if there were any warning signs ahead of the shooting, Sanford responded, “Not at this time.”

Quornelius Radford, the 28-year-old Army sergeant accused of carrying out the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, will likely be transferred to a military detention center, said Ryan O’Connor,
Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Special Agent in Charge.

O’Connor said Radford is currently in custody and that CID is working through the Uniform Code of Military Justice processes.

He said he did not know when Radford will be transferred or the location of the military detention center.

Two of the five soldiers who were shot at Fort Stewart yesterday remain hospitalized today, according to the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division.

“One solider remains as an in-patient at Winn Army (Community Hospital) right here on Fort Stewart. She’s doing very well, in high spirits,” said Brig. Gen. John Lubas. “Of course, she’s got a little bit of a road to recovery. We’re hopeful she may be released as early as this weekend but that will just depend on how things heal up over the next couple of days.”

Another solider who was more seriously injured is recovering at Savannah Memorial Community Hospital, about 45 miles from the base, the general said.

The other three shooting victims were released yesterday, according to Lubas. The Army has not identified the victims nor the nature of their injuries.

An unarmed soldier tackled the shooter, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said during a news conference at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

He added that another soldier “jumped on top of the person to subdue them” until law enforcement officials arrived. Four other soldiers attended to the injured, Driscoll said.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll speaks during a press conference on the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia on Thursday.

US Army officials who met with the families of soldiers wounded in yesterday’s shooting described those meetings as “heartbreaking” in this morning’s news conference.

“It was heartbreaking sitting in there, and seeing the soldier, their daughter, sitting behind them, struggling,” said Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in response to a question from CNN’s Ryan Young.

“Our hearts broke with them. We tried to hug them,” Driscoll said, adding he tried to convey support from the president, vice president and secretary of defense. “We stand behind them.”

Army officials will not speculate on the motives of the attacker who shot and injured five people at Fort Stewart yesterday.

“We will not speculate on the assailant’s motives or the circumstances that led to yesterday’s events,” Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Angel Tomko said today ahead of a news conference, citing the ongoing investigation into the attack.

Counselors will be available for soldiers dealing with trauma after the shooting at Fort Stewart that left five people injured, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.

Driscoll addressed the soldiers after presenting those who helped stop the suspected shooter with medals.

The Army and community members are standing by the soldiers, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said.

“People are going to process this and work through this at different rates, and we know we’ve got to keep a very close eye on them and wrap our arms around them,” he said.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll awards medals to soldiers at Fort Stewart on Thursday.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll awarded medals to soldiers who he said helped halt yesterday’s shooting at Fort Stewart by subduing the suspect and tending to the injured.

Driscoll then presented the Meritorious Service Medal to six soldiers, four of whom appeared to be men and two of whom appeared to be women.

The medal is awarded to servicemembers who distinguish themselves through “outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or service,” according to the US Army.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll walks with soldiers as he arrives at Fort Stewart on Thursday.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll arrived at Fort Stewart a short while ago and addressed soldiers gathered outside before he planned to recognize those who helped halt yesterday’s shooting by tackling the suspect.

“You are in all of our thoughts and prayers,” Driscoll told them, saying he had spoken with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

The soldiers, Driscoll said, endured a “terrible day” yesterday that “could have gone much worse if not for you and your colleagues.”

Sgt. Quornelius Radford is escorted by military police into a booking room at the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Georgia, on Wednesday.

Authorities have identified the suspect in yesterday’s mass shooting at Fort Stewart as 28-year-old Quornelius Samentrio Radford, an active-duty sergeant who the US Army said had enlisted in 2018 as an automated logistical specialist.

Assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Radford’s role involved handling supplies and warehouse operations, the Army said. He had not deployed to a combat zone and had no known behavioral incidents on his military record.

Here’s what else we know:

A recent arrest: Brig. Gen. John Lubas on Wednesday acknowledged Radford had recently been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Radford’s chain of command was unaware of the arrest, which happened in May, before yesterday’s shooting, Lubas said. Radford was out on bond and due for arraignment on August 20.

A personal weapon: Radford used a personal handgun in the attack, Lubas said. According to a law enforcement official briefed on the case, Radford used a 9mm Glock that he bought in Florida in May. The gun was recovered at the scene along with shell casings, the official said.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll today will honor the soldiers who sprang into action to stop the active-duty sergeant accused of opening fire at Fort Stewart yesterday and wounding five of his coworkers.

Driscoll will recognize the soldiers’ “acts of heroism,” according to a news release.

Brig. Gen. John Lubas previously said the attack was stopped when nearby soldiers “immediately and without hesitation tackled the soldier (and) subdued him.” The wounded coworkers were in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon.

Some background: Driscoll, of North Carolina, served in the Army before attending Yale Law School, working in banking and unsuccessfully running for Congress as a Republican. He was nominated by President Donald Trump to his current position and was sworn in to the role in February.