FORT STEWART - A soldier accused of shooting five other soldiers and a civilian last August told a military judge his hope was to be shot and killed by responding military police.

Quornelius Radford has been charged with shooting at five fellow 2nd Armored Brigade Combat team soldiers, wounding four of them, and shooting and wounding his civilian boyfriend during an August 6, 2025 incident on Fort Stewart.

Radford, who initially pled not guilty to all the charges against him, revised that plea and entered a plea of not guilty on the charges of attempted murder. He pled guilty to one specification of domestic violence, one specification of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon and one specification of aggravated assault by inflicting grievous bodily harm.

What is known as the provident phase of Radford’s court martial was held Tuesday in a Fort Stewart courtroom. Judge Col. Gregory Batdorff accepted Radford’s guilty pleas.

Yet even Col. Batdorff warned Radford that he was pleading guilty to a charge of domestic violence that could not be proven in court.

“A plea of guilty is equivalent to a conviction,” the judge told Radford.

The judge also asked Radford if he knew to what he was pleading guilty and why.

The prosecution indicated it would continue its case against Radford on the six specifications of attempted murder.

Wearing dress blues, Radford was informed he could face up to 61 years in prison, get reduced in rank to E-1 and face a dishonorable discharge just for the charges to which he changed his plea to guilty. His court martial will be decided by the trial judge, rather than a panel of fellow noncommissioned officers, and his sentencing for his guilty pleas will be held later.

Tuesday’s proceedings lasted nearly three hours, and at the judge’s request, Radford walked the court through his actions that day.

Radford told the court that after doing PT, he returned to his Hinesville apartment and an argument with his boyfriend ensued. He took Glock pistol and put nine or 10 rounds into the magazine and drove onto the post.

His boyfriend followed him and after pulling through the gate, Radford stopped alongside the road. So did his boyfriend, not far behind Radford’s vehicle. His boyfriend rolled down his window and Radford shot him in the chest.

Radford then entered the company first sergeant’s office, where she was meeting with platoon sergeants. He shot the first sergeant in the stomach and fired at his platoon sergeant, who ducked out of the way. The round instead hit another platoon sergeant in the side, going completely through his chest and out the other side.

The company first sergeant’s wounds were severe enough to end her military career, Col. Batdorff said.

When he heard a noise coming from another room, he turned and fired one shot, telling the judge he fired blindly. That round hit another noncommissioned officer in the arm. Radford said he jogged down the hall and when a door opened, he fired again. The fragments from either the bullet or the door hit another NCO, whom Radford did not know, in the face.

Radford said he and his boyfriend, who had moved in together in April 2025, got into an argument before going to work.

“I was debating killing myself at that moment,” Radford said.

When Col. Batdorff asked Radford if his goal was to have the MPs eventually confront him and shoot him, killing him in the process, Radford replied, “yes, your honor.”

The 29-year-old Radford, a Jacksonville, Florida, native, was assigned to A Company, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion at the time of the incident.

Radford still faces court martial for two specifications of attempted premeditated murder and four specifications of attempted unpremeditated murder. His court martial on those charges will be held June 15-18 and June 22-25.

Radford remains confined to the Joint Base Charleston (S.C.) brig.