The Army has initially charged the soldier who allegedly wounded five in a shooting at Fort Stewart, Georgia, last week with premeditated murder, assault, and domestic violence.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford faces a slew of preliminary charges: two specifications of attempted premeditated murder, four specifications of attempted unpremeditated murder, one specification of domestic violence, three specifications of aggravated assault inflicting bodily harm, and three specifications of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon. The Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel preferred the Uniformed Code of Military Justice charges against Radford Tuesday afternoon in a pre-trial confinement review.
Radford is accused of wounding five and shooting a sixth soldier on Aug. 6. The attack took place in an area belonging to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, prompting a full lockdown of the base. The incident garnered national attention and was the largest mass shooting on a military base since 2019. Six soldiers who tackled the gunman and tended to the wounded amid the chaos were honored with Meritorious Service Medals by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll a day later.
According to an Army release, a judge advocate will be assigned as a preliminary hearing officer to the case. The officer will review evidence to determine if probable cause exists for each of the charged offenses. The officer will report their findings to the Office of Special Trial Counsel, and their prosecutors will consider the preliminary officer’s report, available evidence, and decide whether the case should proceed to a general court-martial. If charges are referred, a military judge will be assigned to the case and schedule an arraignment and trial date.
Radford will be held in pre-trial confinement at the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. Radford enlisted as an automated logistical specialist in January 2018. He has no combat deployments. He is assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.
