Fort Stewart Army base in Georgia, which is located around 225 miles southeast of Atlanta and 40 miles southwest of Savannah, went under lockdown after reports of an active shooter's presence inside the premises.
In a post on Facebook, Fort Stewart said, "The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and law enforcement is on the scene." It added that the incident took place in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area and that casualties have been reported.
Liberty County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said that they were assisting in the response at Fort Stewart, but referred all the questions about the incident to the US Army.
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Five soldiers were shot in the active shooter incident, Reuters reported. All the soldiers were treated on-site and were later moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment, the news agency reported, citing Fort Stewart. It added that there was "no active threat to the community".
Where is Fort Stewart located?
Situated around 225 miles southeast of Atlanta and 40 miles southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It is home to the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division and their family members.
Key facts about Fort Stewart
- Fort Stewart, spread across 279,000 acres, is home to the 3rd Infantry Division, which includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armoured brigade combat teams, one aviation brigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion, along with a manoeuvre enhancement brigade.
- The live-fire facilities of the installation, which is able to train up to 50,000 soldiers annually, supports the full range of the Army weaponry.
- According to the project profiles provided by the US Department of Defense under Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI), preventing development pressures around Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield is safeguarding the continued use of the installation's controlled airspace, which is important for unmanned aerial vehicle operations and integrating close air support, as well as drop zones for paratrooper training.
- The open safe buffer in the region allows Fort Stewart to conduct exercises that produce smoke, noise, and dust, such as live-fire training, manoeuvre training, and controlled forest burns.
- The controlled burns prevent live ammunition from causing any unplanned fires and allow native longleaf pineforests to thrive by restoring the natural balance of underbrush growth and suppressing unwanted hardwoods.
Situated around 225 miles southeast of Atlanta and 40 miles southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It is home to the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division and their family members.
Key facts about Fort Stewart
- Fort Stewart, spread across 279,000 acres, is home to the 3rd Infantry Division, which includes a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, two armoured brigade combat teams, one aviation brigade, a division artillery, a sustainment brigade and a combat sustainment support battalion, along with a manoeuvre enhancement brigade.
- The live-fire facilities of the installation, which is able to train up to 50,000 soldiers annually, supports the full range of the Army weaponry.
- According to the project profiles provided by the US Department of Defense under Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI), preventing development pressures around Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield is safeguarding the continued use of the installation's controlled airspace, which is important for unmanned aerial vehicle operations and integrating close air support, as well as drop zones for paratrooper training.
- The open safe buffer in the region allows Fort Stewart to conduct exercises that produce smoke, noise, and dust, such as live-fire training, manoeuvre training, and controlled forest burns.
- The controlled burns prevent live ammunition from causing any unplanned fires and allow native longleaf pineforests to thrive by restoring the natural balance of underbrush growth and suppressing unwanted hardwoods.