FORT STEWART, Ga. — A military judge has sentenced an Army sergeant to life behind bars for a shooting incident last summer that left five people injured at a Georgia military installation.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 29, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole at Fort Stewart on Tuesday, according to local news reports. The sentence came following a court-martial last week in which Radford was found guilty of attempted murder.
Military prosecutors alleged that Radford deliberately targeted leaders within his supply unit when he opened fire using a personal handgun last August. Four of his fellow soldiers were wounded in the attack, along with his then-fiancé, Raekwon Smith. Smith testified that he had followed Radford onto the base out of concern that the soldier might harm himself.
Radford had previously admitted to the shootings in March when he entered guilty pleas to charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence. However, he maintained throughout the proceedings that he never had any intention of killing anyone, even as Army prosecutors pursued the more serious attempted murder charges.
Witnesses at trial described how Radford — a supply sergeant assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade — moved through two offices and a conference room, shooting four soldiers along the way. Fellow soldiers eventually restrained him and took away his weapon before military police took him into custody.
In addition to the life sentence, Radford was dishonorably discharged from the Army and had his rank reduced to private.
Prosecutors had pushed for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Radford’s defense team argued for a more lenient outcome, contending that he was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time of the shootings and had since taken responsibility for what he did.
One of Radford’s defense attorneys read a statement on his behalf in which he apologized individually to each victim, expressed gratitude that they all survived, and asked for their forgiveness.
A physician from the Army hospital located on Fort Stewart testified during the trial that one soldier was shot in the face and another in the chest, while other victims sustained gunshot wounds to the back and abdomen.
Victims who spoke during the sentencing hearing said they continue to cope with both physical and emotional injuries stemming from the attack. Two of those wounded have since left military service.
Radford chose to have his case decided by a military judge rather than a panel of fellow soldiers.
