Requests for comment Tuesday afternoon were not immediately answered by Radford’s military defense lawyers.
The task of conducting Radford’s preliminary hearing, reviewing the evidence, determining whether each accusation has probable cause, and issuing a report will go to a judge advocate.
When deciding whether to send the charges to a general court-martial, Army prosecutors will take that report and the supporting documentation into account. The matter will be sent to a military court, who will set up an arraignment and trial date if the charges are referred.
Radford serves as an automated logistics sergeant with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division. On Tuesday, he was being held at Hinesville’s Liberty County Jail. However, he will be moved to the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina, according to military prosecutors.
The five wounded soldiers have not been identified by officials. Last week, three were discharged from hospitals. One was still being treated in Savannah’s Memorial Health University Medical Center on Tuesday, and another was still at Winn Army Community Hospital. They were both stable.
Six troops at Fort Stewart received a Meritorious Service Medal from the military last week in recognition of their valiant response to the shooting. The soldiers said several helped detain Radford while others gave the injured life-saving medical attention.
The New York Times reported last week that Eddie Radford, a Jacksonville resident and Radford’s father, said his son had been looking for a transfer and had complained to his family about prejudice at Fort Stewart, where he had served for a number of years. He further mentioned that on Wednesday morning, his Black son texted his aunt to say that he loved everyone and that he would be in a better place because he was going to do something.
In addition, Radford told the newspaper that his son had no history of severe mental illness, although he did occasionally struggle with despair related to his mother’s death when he was a little boy.
