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President Donald Trump reacted to five soldiers who were injured in a shooting on Wednesday morning at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, prompting a temporary lockdown of the Army base before the suspect, an active-duty service member, was taken into custody.
“Before we begin, I’d like to say a few words about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia,” he said ahead of a press conference with Apple CEO Tim Cook. “As you know, five people were seriously wounded and two very, very seriously hurt around 11 a.m. this morning. The shooter is now in custody.”
He added, “The Army Criminal Investigation division is on site to ensure that the perpetrator of this atrocity, which is exactly what it is, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the wounded soldiers are all in stable condition and expected to recover. The alleged gunman, identified as Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, used a personal handgun in the attack, which occurred in the team area of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, known as the Spartan Brigade.
“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 shooting took place just before 11:00 a.m., and the base was placed on lockdown minutes later. By 11:35 a.m., Radford had been apprehended. The lockdown was lifted just after noon.
Three of the injured soldiers required surgery. Two were transported to Memorial Hospital in Savannah for additional treatment.
Lubas said Radford had a previous DUI arrest that was not known to his chain of command. The Army Criminal Investigation Division is interviewing Radford, and he is being held in pretrial confinement while the Special Trial Counsel considers charges. A motive has not been determined.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the shooting a “cowardly” act, praising law enforcement and offering prayers for the wounded.
Fort Stewart, the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River, is home to more than 8,800 residents.
