Army sergeant gets life sentence for shootings that wounded 5 at Georgia
base
[June 24, 2026]
FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — An Army sergeant was sentenced to life
in a military prison Tuesday for shootings last summer that wounded five
people at a base in Georgia.
A military judge at Fort Stewart sentenced Sgt. Quornelius Radford to
life with a possibility of parole, local news outlets reported, after a
court-martial last week in which the soldier was convicted of attempted
murder.
|

Sgt. Quornelius Radford, center, is escorted by military police into a
booking room at the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Ga., Aug. 6,
2025. (AP Photo/Lewis M. Levine, File) |
|
Army prosecutors accused Radford, 29, of targeting leaders of
his supply unit when he opened fire with a personal handgun last
August. He wounded four fellow soldiers and his then-fiance,
Raekwon Smith, who testified he was shot after following Radford
onto Fort Stewart fearing the soldier was suicidal.
Radford admitted to carrying out the shootings in March when he
pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and domestic
violence. But he insisted he never intended to kill anyone as
Army prosecutors pressed ahead with trying Radford on charges of
attempted murder.
Trial witnesses described how Radford, a supply sergeant in the
3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Armored Brigade, walked to two
offices and a conference room as he shot four soldiers. He was
apprehended by military police after being restrained and
disarmed by fellow soldiers.
Radford's sentence also included a dishonorable discharged and a
reduction in rank to private.
Army prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Radford to life
without parole. The soldier's defense attorneys sought a lighter
sentence, arguing that the shootings occurred while Radford was
having a mental health crisis and that he has accepted
responsibility for his actions.
One of the defense lawyers read a statement from Radford in
which he apologized to each of the victims, said he was grateful
they survived and asked forgiveness.
During Radford's trial, a doctor from the Army hospital on Fort
Stewart testified that one of the injured soldiers was shot in
the face and another in the chest, while bullets stuck other
victims in the back and abdomen.
Victims testified during Radford's sentencing hearing that
they're still recovering, physically and emotionally. Two of
them have left the Army.
Radford opted for his trial to be decided by a military judge
rather than a jury of soldiers.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|