Senior Army leaders praised the quick actions of several soldiers at the Fort Stewart base in Georgia who subdued an active shooter on Wednesday, possibly saving lives.
“One of the most important things we were able to do this morning, though, is recognize the heroism of these six soldiers,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said from the base Thursday morning.
“One of the soldiers tackled the person,” he added. “So think about this, they were unarmed and ran at and tackled an armed person who they knew was actively shooting their buddies, their colleagues, and fellow soldiers. Another soldier jumped on top of the person to subdue them until federal law enforcement was able to arrive.”
The suspect, identified as Quornelius Radford, allegedly injured five soldiers when he opened fire on the base. The reports of shots fired went out at approximately 10:56 a.m., the base was locked down by 11:04 a.m., and emergency personnel were dispatched at 11:09 a.m. The shooter was apprehended by soldiers and law enforcement by 11:35 a.m.
“Once the shooter was identified and a threat was identified, we had soldiers that immediately raced and tackled that soldier, wrestled the gun away, and subdued him. A second non-commissioned officer jumped on top to further restrain him until the police could arrive,” said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. “No one hesitated. Most of these soldiers behind me and others in the crowd immediately started applying first-aid and, most importantly, stopped the bleeding. When we spoke to the surgeons in the hospital, it was clear that the actions they took, merely stopping the bleeding before they were loaded up into ambulances, certainly saved lives.”
Of the five injured soldiers, three were released from the hospital on Wednesday. Another “remains as an in-patient” in a facility on the base and could be “released as early as this weekend,” and the fifth has “a little bit longer of a road to recovery,” and is receiving care at Savannah Memorial Community Hospital.
ARMY SERGEANT ARRESTED IN FORT STEWART SHOOTING THAT LEFT FIVE SOLDIERS INJURED
The shooter will “likely” be transferred to a military facility, said Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor, who leads the Central Field Office of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Driscoll promised to make the findings public and said they are “constantly” reviewing security protocols on bases domestically and abroad.
