By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 29, a supply sergeant with the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade at Fort Stewart, Georgia, was found guilty of attempted murder Thursday in a shooting incident that wounded five people, including four fellow soldiers and his then-fiancé.
- The shootings occurred in August 2025 when Radford opened fire with a personal handgun inside his unit’s office area after his fiancé, Raekwon Smith, followed him onto the base fearing he was suicidal.
- Radford had previously pleaded guilty in March to aggravated assault and domestic violence charges but maintained he never intended to kill anyone; Army prosecutors proceeded with attempted murder charges after trial evidence showed multiple gunshot wounds that experts said could have been fatal.
- A military judge, rather than a jury of soldiers, decided the verdict after a two-day court-martial; sentencing is scheduled for Monday, with attempted murder under military law carrying potential life imprisonment.
- Fellow soldiers restrained and disarmed Radford at the scene; the defense argued he was suicidal and sought a lethal confrontation with police rather than intended to murder his victims.
FORT STEWART, GA. — Sgt. Quornelius Radford was convicted of attempted murder Thursday in connection with a shooting incident last August at the Army’s largest post east of the Mississippi River, in which he wounded five people including four soldiers and his then-fiancé.
The military judge at Fort Stewart handed down the verdict following a two-day court-martial in which prosecutors contended Radford deliberately targeted leaders of his supply unit when he entered the office area with a personal handgun and opened fire.
Radford, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade as a supply sergeant, admitted in March that he carried out the shooting but pleaded guilty only to aggravated assault and domestic violence, claiming he had no intention to kill anyone. His fiancé, Raekwon Smith, testified that he followed Radford onto the base because he feared Radford was suicidal. Smith said Radford shot him in the torso before proceeding into the unit’s office building where he fired on additional soldiers.
Trial testimony revealed Radford walked through two offices and a conference room, shooting four soldiers, but instructed other personnel he encountered to leave the area. A radiologist testified that one victim was shot in the face, another in the chest, with additional wounds to the back and abdomen. The medical expert stated that any of the wounds could have proven fatal.
Army prosecutors argued that Radford’s military firearms training made clear to him that soldiers never shoot unless they intend to kill. Defense counsel countered that Radford was experiencing suicidal thoughts and opened fire to provoke a lethal response from law enforcement rather than commit murder. Lt. Col. Dylan Mack, one of Radford’s attorneys, stated that Radford’s only intended victim that day was himself.
Radford was disarmed and restrained by fellow soldiers at the scene. He opted for a military judge, rather than a jury, to decide his case. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday, at which the military judge will determine penalties. Under military law, attempted murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Radford, who enlisted in 2018, remains in military custody. Fort Stewart, located approximately 40 miles southwest of Savannah, is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.