Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, is accused of using a personal handgun to shoot five soldiers Wednesday at Fort Stewart, one of the nation's largest Army bases, before he was quickly tackled by other troops, officials said.
“The fast action of these soldiers under stress and under trauma and under fire absolutely saved lives from being lost,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said at a news briefing Thursday morning.
“One of the soldiers tackled the person, so just think about this — they were unarmed and ran at and tackled an armed person who they knew was actively shooting their buddies, their colleagues, their fellow soldiers,” Driscoll said. “Another soldier jumped on top of the person to subdue them until federal law enforcement was able to arrive.”
Authorities say Radford opened fire on a part of the base where he worked, but officials would not speculate about a motive.
The injured were taken to the hospital and three underwent surgery, officials said.
The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The soldiers who tackled Radford helped ensure his arrest, said Lubas, who commands the 3rd Infantry Division.
