The soldier accused of opening fire Wednesday at his Army base in Georgia, wounding five people, had endured relentless bullying over his stutter almost as soon as he joined the military, former co-workers said.
Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, was picked on during the roughly two months in 2018 he spent at the Army’s Advanced Individual Training (AIT) school at Fort Lee in Virginia, according to two people who served with him there.
“He got bullied a lot,” said Sgt. Cameron Barrett, 28, who became friends with Radford during that time. “It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk.”
Barrett said people would mock Radford by also pretending to have a stutter. He said the apparent speech impediment was a “trigger” for Radford, who endured the mocking by being silent.
Still, Radford showed no signs of anger, resentment or deeper issues, Barrett and other fellow soldiers said. And to those who got to know him, the reserved Radford shared a goofier and playful side, they said.
So, they said, the Wednesday morning shooting at Fort Stewart came as a complete shock.
When reports of an active shooter on base first surfaced, Barrett said he sent Radford a message on Snapchat, asking if he was OK.
Radford did not respond. Hours later, Army officials identified Radford as the man suspected of using his personal handgun to allegedly shoot five of his co-workers shortly before 11 a.m.
Radford worked as a logistics sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is based at Fort Stewart.
The wounded soldiers were in stable condition Wednesday and are expected to recover. Three of the victims were released from hospitals on Wednesday, while two more, both women, were still being treated on Thursday, officials said.
It’s unclear whether the victims were subordinates or superiors of Radford. Army officials said a motive was unclear, as the investigation is ongoing.
Radford, an automated logistical specialist assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart, was tackled and subdued by fellow soldiers, which ended his alleged shooting rampage.
Radford remained in custody Thursday and has been interviewed by the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native joined the Army in January 2018 and has not been deployed to combat, records showed.
Some soldiers who met him that year in AIT school were left shocked and confused. They said Radford appeared laid back, despite being teased for his stutter.
“It was easy for those people to make fun of him for the way he spoke,” said Sgt. Carlos Coleman, who was in the same formation as Radford during that training. “After that, he really didn’t speak that much.”
“I just saw him get quiet,” Coleman, 27, added. “I’ve never seen him angry. That’s why I’m so surprised.”
Barrett and Coleman said something else must have happened, since it had been years since the initial military bullying.
