Army sergeant gets life sentence for shootings that wounded 5 at Georgia base

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.

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.