An Army sergeant using a personal handgun opened fire on his unit at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia on Wednesday, the base’s commander said, wounding five until he was tackled by other soldiers who stopped the attack.
None of the injuries were life threatening, Brigadier General John W. Lubas said in a news conference, adding that the victims would not be identified until their families had been contacted. “All are expected to recover,” he said.
Army officials identified the suspect in custody as Sergeant Quornelius Radford, 28, an automated logistics sergeant assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team. They said they were not sure of his motivations or how he had concealed the weapon.
About 8,800 people live at Fort Stewart, about 40 miles southwest of Savannah. Officials on the base, which is the home of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the shooting took place in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area.
A base lockdown put in place about 11 a.m. was lifted about an hour later, and officials said there was no longer a threat to the community.
Private First Class Shane Labbe, 21, a tank mechanic, and several other soldiers took shelter in the base’s armory as soon as they heard the first reports, according to his father, Robert Labbe, who talked to his son by phone during the lockdown.
Mr. Labbe, who was at his trucking job in Connecticut, said he was concerned for his son, but they both figured the armory was the safest place to be. “It is where they keep all the weapons,” Mr. Labbe said. “I said, ‘At least you can defend yourself if the guy breaks in.’”
The Army Criminal Investigation Division was leading the investigation of the shooting. President Trump was briefed, said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, and the F.B.I.’s Savannah office was assisting the investigation.
Other shootings have scarred military bases in recent years, including when a gunman killed three people at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida in 2019 before he was fatally shot by officers.
That same year, a Navy sailor fatally shot two shipyard workers at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. And in 2014, a soldier who was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas, killing three people and wounding 16.
Eduardo Medina is a Times reporter covering the South. An Alabama native, he is now based in Durham, N.C.
Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times. He has reported on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism for more than three decades.
Christine Hauser is a Times reporter who writes breaking news stories, features and explainers.
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