An Army sergeant was sentenced to life in military prison on Tuesday for a shooting at a Georgia base last summer that wounded five people.
A military judge at Fort Stewart sentenced Sgt. Quornelius Radford to life in prison with the possibility of parole following a court-martial last week in which he was convicted of attempted murder, according to local news reports.
Military prosecutors said Radford, 29, targeted leaders in his supply unit when he opened fire with a personal handgun last August. Four fellow soldiers and his then-fiancée, Raekwon Smith, were injured. Smith testified that he followed Radford onto Fort Stewart out of concern that the soldier was suicidal when he was shot.
Radford admitted to the shootings in March when he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and domestic violence charges. However, he maintained that he never intended to kill anyone, while prosecutors pursued attempted murder charges.
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.
