THE Army soldier accused of shooting five of his co-workers sent a disturbing message moments before the attack, and was hiding a criminal record from his bosses.

More disturbing details about Army Sergeant Quornelius Radford are coming to light after he allegedly opened fire in Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old is in custody, and the victims are expected to be OK, but three of them needed emergency surgery.

After he was named as the suspect, military officials said that he had no known behavioral incidents since he enlisted in 2018.

However, arrest records surfaced that showed he was cuffed and accused of driving under the influence on May 18, 2025.

According to Brigadier General John Lubas, the arrest was “unknown to his chain of command until the event occurred, and we started looking into the law enforcement databases,” he said at a conference.

Radford paid out a bond and was scheduled to be arraigned on August 20, but his chain of command hadn’t been notified.

Radford, who is from Jacksonville, Florida, was serving as an automated logistics sergeant when he was arrested.

According to the US Army website, soldiers working on this team maintain equipment records and oversee warehouse functions.

Though a motive hasn’t been made clear, the suspect’s dad Eddie Radford admitted that his son was looking to transfer to a new base in an interview with the New York Times.

The dad said that Radford, who is Black, had complained about racism at Fort Stewart, where he had served for several years.

On Wednesday morning, the alleged shooter texted his aunt and said, “that he loved everybody, and that he’ll be in a better place because he was about to go and do something,” according to his dad.

Despite the complaints, Eddie said that he was shocked to hear of the arrest and that he hadn’t noticed any differences in his son.

“It’s hard for me to process,” said the heartbroken father.

DISTURBING CRIME

The gun rampage started at around 11 am at the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team and prompted a brief lockdown.

Disturbing audio captured a dispatcher urgently calling for help after getting reports of a shooting.

“There are possibly five patients. They have both of their EMS trucks on scene, the dispatcher said.

Radford was taken into custody at 11:35 am after a brave soldier at the base tackled him to the ground “without hesitation,” Lubas said.

“That allowed law enforcement to then take him into custody.”

The soldier who stopped the shooting wasn’t harmed.

Lubas said Radford used a personal handgun he purchased in May, and that they’re investigating how he got the firearm past security.

Normally, soldiers aren’t allowed to bring their personal weapons on the base.

‘INCREDIBLY PROUD’

Fort Stewart is about 40 miles southwest of Savannah and is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River.

Over 15,000 soldiers and family members live in the facility.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance, who served in the Marines, said that he was “incredibly proud of the hero soldier who tackled the gunman and saved lives.

“We are incredibly blessed to have men like these, who respond quickly in moments of violence and chaos. They are the reason civilization exists in the first place.

“My prayers go out to the victims of this shooting. Join me in praying for their fast recovery!”