The U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) said an Army sergeant who fired on members of his own unit and his male fiancé at Fort Stewart, Georgia, last summer has been sentenced to six consecutive life terms, with eligibility for parole.
Sgt. Quornelius S. Radford, 29, was found guilty by a military judge of attempting to kill five soldiers and his fiancé during the Aug. 6 shooting.
Along with the life sentences, Radford will lose all pay and allowances, be demoted to the lowest enlisted grade of E-1, and be dishonorably discharged from the Army, OSTC said in a statement. He is set to serve his confinement at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
FILE – Sgt. Quornelius Radford, accused in the shooting of five soldiers at Fort Stewart, is escorted by military police into a booking area at the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Ga., on Aug. 6, 2025. (Lewis M. Levine/Unknown)
Maj. Matthew Fields, an OSTC prosecutor, said the sentence underscores what he described as the deep betrayal central to the case, emphasizing that soldiers are prepared to confront threats from enemies, not from someone serving beside them.
“Sgt. Radford turned his weapon on his own unit, shooting fellow Soldiers, including members of his leadership, shattering the trust that is essential to every military organization,” Fields said.
Army CID Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor said the conviction reinforces the Army’s “commitment to the safety and security of our service members and military communities.”
FILE – A soldier carries a weapon at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on Aug. 6, 2025, after a gunman opened fire on the installation and wounded five people. (WTOC/Unknown)
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News Agency previously reported that Radford, an automated logistics sergeant from Jacksonville, Florida, who joined the Army in 2018, had no known prior disciplinary issues within his chain of command — though local court records revealed a concealed DUI arrest from May 2025.
The shooting spree began after Radford left his home following an argument with his male fiancé.
Fearing that Radford was suicidal, his fiancé followed him to the Georgia military installation. While attempting to calm him down in the parking lot of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area, Radford pulled out a loaded personal firearm and shot him.
Radford then proceeded inside the unit’s offices, where he shot four soldiers and attempted to shoot a fifth, but missed.
Fellow soldiers tackled and subdued Radford, holding him down until law enforcement arrived.
FILE – Sgt. Quornelius Radford is escorted by military police into a booking room at the Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Ga., on Aug. 6, 2025. (Lewis M. Levine/Unknown)
At the time of the attack, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said the intervening soldiers “without a doubt, prevented further casualties.”
Soldiers in the unit immediately provided first aid to the wounded until EMS arrived.
All six victims survived the attack, but they testified during the trial that they suffered devastating trauma.
Every victim told the military judge that Radford deserved the maximum sentence.
