Savannah, Georgia– An Army sergeant is accused of shooting and wounding Five co-workers A man charged at a base in southeast Georgia last summer is seeking to plead guilty to attempted murder and other charges in a military court, Army prosecutors said Thursday.
Authorities say Sgt. Cornelius Radford, 28, used a personal handgun to open fire on members of his supply unit at Fort Stewart in August. The shooting wounded four soldiers and a civilian worker who was Radford’s romantic partner to bystanders Disarmed and restrained Sgt., according to prosecutors.
A military judge decided that Radford should stand Trial before a military court In June after Radford He pleaded not guilty Last fall to 13 felony counts: six counts attempted murder, Six counts of aggravated assault and several counts of domestic violence. Prosecutors say there were six total victims, including the person Radford shot and missed.
Radford is now seeking to plead guilty to a reduced set of charges, according to the Army’s Office of Special Prosecution Counsel, which is prosecuting Radford.
Radford’s attorneys told a military judge last week that Radford wanted to plead guilty to two counts of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of domestic violence, she said in a news release Thursday.
Radford’s lead defense attorney, Lt. Col. Dylan Mack, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Army’s online court docket shows Radford’s plea status has been changed from “not guilty” to “plea guilty” before his next scheduled court hearing on March 31. That’s when the judge plans to consider changing Radford’s plea, prosecutors said.
Military prosecutors said they did not negotiate a plea deal with Radford, meaning he would still face a potential life sentence if a military judge accepted his guilty plea.
Authorities have not provided a suspected motive for the shooting. Radford has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest.
Fort Stewart, the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. It is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah.
Radford served as a supply sergeant in the division’s 2nd Armored Brigade. Army records show he enlisted in 2018.
On August 6, soldiers in the Radford unit followed the sound of gunfire through the hallways of an office building, where they found hazy gun smoke in the air and wounded people on the ground and in nearby offices.
Dean. Gen. John Lobas, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, credited soldiers with saving lives by immediately providing first aid and, in some cases, using their bare hands to stop bleeding from gunshot wounds.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visited Fort Stewart the day after the shooting to award Meritorious Service Medals to six soldiers who helped restrain the gunman and treat the victims.