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Five Soldiers Shot in Active Shooter Incident at Fort Stewart in Georgia, Shooter Apprehended. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 06, 2025 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:30:00]

JULIETTE KAYYEM, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY, DHS/HARVARD PROFESSOR: -- someone in the military or related to the military, or a vendor or a contractor, is going to be key. Or did someone breach -- some outsider breach security? Both of those are relevant for force protection. That's what we care about in terms of the Pentagon, want to protect the service members and also their families.

And so once we -- once the lockdown is lifted, we will know a lot more and anticipate that we will hear both from the Pentagon and of course, local law enforcement who are engaged as well, about what in fact happened and -- at the facility.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR OF 'INSIDE POLITICS': Yeah. And yeah, as you said, it's like a small city. There are --

KAYYEM: Yeah.

BASH: -- civilians and families there. You mentioned schools. I believe that schools have gone back into session early, but that's --

KAYYEM: Yeah.

BASH: -- that's what happens, I think, in Georgia generally. And my colleague Brianna Keilar was just sending me a message that that is true at Fort Stewart. So there -- there are a lot of those -- a lot of factors and indicators that they need to focus on right now. Again, Juliette, please, thank you so much for your expertise. Don't go anywhere. I would now want to go to retired FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner.

Daniel reports that the FBI is responding. That probably isn't surprising. If you were one of those asked to respond, what would you be doing first?

DANIEL BRUNNER, RETIRED FBI AGENT: The first thing I would be doing is providing support to the authority, the local law enforcement and the base security, the MPs that are there, providing them whatever resources the FBI has there in this area, is to providing them the resources they have to make sure that the threat is mitigated, that the in -- there no longer is a threat to the base. And find out if there are secondary threats to them, maybe provide special agent BombTechs to support their bomb and look at vehicles, see if there's a secondary incident. And as the FBI's there is to provide their support until the situation is brought under control. The threat is mitigated, and then they're -- be able to move on and with our investigative support, whether it goes beyond the state of Georgia or internationally, and that's their main priorities, to get there on scene and provide the support they need.

BASH: And what about what Juliette mentioned, the lag between the reporting that there -- the active shooter is no longer active or at least that person is no longer a threat, and the fact that the base appears to still be in lockdown?

BRUNNER: Well, this is a very fluid situation right now. Obviously, lots of news report -- a lot of reports are coming out of the base. We're getting lots of different information, a lot of intelligence streams. Without a doubt, they're you -- you're going to -- it's going to take hours to make sure that the threat, like I said, is mitigated and there no longer is an active thread. There could be secondary devices, there could be other shooters around the base that have -- that are hidden.

Obviously, they have to deal with all the victims. There's a lot of things, a lot of agencies that are responding there. So there's a lot of information, a lot of news that's coming out of the base. Quite often we see in incidents like this, a lot of the information that we first hear within the first hour or two is incorrect. So we need to give it time, let the authorities control the situation, get everybody under control. And I'm sure we'll have a news briefing. Quite commonly, it's known in crisis management, have a news briefing as quickly as possible once the threat is mitigated to let the public know that there's no longer a threat to the community. But let -- we need to let them be on base and make sure, and whatever reports that may be coming out, we can't really take that too seriously until we know the -- from the -- from the leadership themselves.

BASH: Yeah. I mean, that certainly does make a lot of sense to keep everybody on lockdown to be absolutely sure. You don't want to let people go out and learn something that you didn't know. What about the fact that, unfortunately, active shooters -- we are maybe way too used to reporting on this in the United States of America these days. But when this happens on a military base, how does law enforcement approach this in a different way?

BRUNNER: Well, like Juliette said, there's lots of factors. They're going to have to look at whether this was a breach. And we've known, we've got incidents where people attempted to access the base at Quantico, and the Marine Corps base at Quantico where the FBI Academy is, that happened a number of years ago. Two individuals attempted to enter the base and they were not authorized. So, there are breaches, there could be situations, but we also have to think about the Fort Hood shootings that have occurred in the past.

Those are individuals from the military who have turned on their own people inside the base. So, there are a number of different factors. There are a number of different situations that could be -- have to be considered. And looking at the whole situation as to, number one, make sure that the threat is mitigated, and then look at who the threat was, and then figuring out how it occurred.

[12:35:00]

BASH: Yeah, I mean, I was, of course, the first thing I thought of was Fort Hood, just as you just mentioned. I mean, we have no idea what the specifics are of this. Look, this is a very, very large area. It's, as we -- it's about 280,000 acres. Isabel was reporting that, that's based on Fort Stewart's website. 10,000 people live on -- in this area. I mean, that is a huge swath of land and number of people to keep in lockdown and to be trying to sort of control when you're looking at an active situation like this.

BRUNNER: Absolutely. So I think about, in New Jersey, there's Fort Dix and the McGuire Joint Base there. And it is massively huge. The FBI, Newark division has their gun range on the base. So I've driven there at numerous times, I've seen the magnitude, the size of it all. And that's why there -- this is on full lockdown because they don't know if there are other threats somewhere else on the base, may the -- the shooter may be neutralized, the shooter may be in custody in that specific building, but there's such a large base, such a large amount of acreage to cover.

You have the wooded area, you have common areas, you have PXs where supermarkets, everything needs to be made sure that there were -- are no longer threats. If you have a -- if you have an active shooter at a library, a school, you're looking at that a little bit more controlled. This is, as you were saying, is just a massively huge base that they have to make sure there are no longer threats. Or if there was a second shooter that's escaping and is on the run, where they need to make sure that person is taken into custody and is no longer a threat to the community. And even worse, if they were to get outside the base and threaten the community at large, then it just becomes exorbitantly worse.

BASH: Yeah, absolutely frightening. OK, standby. Don't go anywhere. I want to bring Juliette back. Juliette, as you're listening to Daniel and getting more information, what else should we be thinking about as people who don't have the law enforcement background that you do?

KAYYEM: Yeah. So look, there's a -- there's a range now that needs to be considered. This could have been a personal issue between people who knew each other to, which is bad, but contained and motive may be understandable to -- all the way to an outside breach of someone with the intent to go after our military, which would have implications for the Pentagon in terms of force protection.

To me, if you're sitting in the Pentagon right now or at the Department of Homeland Security and looking at the threat environment, you really do want to consider what advice and protocols you're putting into place, at least for the short term until you can answer that question to protect our forts and the military. So, I think that would be not -- I think that is ongoing, right now, until we know the nature of what this is and the consequences for not only those at this particular fort, but for how the Pentagon is thinking about force protection for other forts. They have protocols in place. I've been a part of them. I know them. I served on something called the Council of Governors in my role at the Department of Homeland Security, which worked with state leaders and military state leaders because these forts are so -- these facilities are so dynamic, if you haven't been in them, they are many cities. Everything from movie theaters to markets to military schools to, of course, the training.

BASH: Juliette?

KAYYEM: They are large. Yeah?

BASH: Forgive me, I just want to go back to Isabel because, Isabel, let me bring you in. I believe you have more information on what we were reporting earlier about casualties.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Dana, just reading through it now, a press release that was just posted on the Fort Stewart Facebook page that has a ton of new details here. Let me get into that. We're finding out that five soldiers were shot in this active shooter incident. So, that's the first time that we're getting a number, five soldiers. We are not being told the extent of their injuries, but we do see here that they were treated on site and then moved over to the Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment.

They also write, there is no active threat to the community. The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m. So that would seem to indicate that this person is in custody, but very important here, no longer a threat to the community.

[12:40:00]

We're also finding out here a timeline of events that law enforcement was dispatched to the possible shooting at a complex there at 10:56 in the morning. And then again, the shooter apprehended by 11:35 a.m., so roughly 30 minutes later. The installation was placed under lockdown at 11:04 a.m., so about 10 minutes after law enforcement was dispatched, the installation was put under lockdown. Fort Stewart has lifted that lockdown of the main area as of 12:10 p.m. So just this afternoon.

But the building where the shooting originated from, the second ABCT complex, that is still under lockdown. But a lot of new information here. Dana, of course, five soldiers shot in this active shooter incident. We don't know the extent of their injuries, but they are being treated at a hospital. And the shooter, who has not been identified, is seemingly under custody. Apprehended is the word that they're using, all within a 30-minute time span. So important information, they point to the fact that this is still under investigation. They're not releasing additional details.

They're saying until the investigation is completed. But, as your guests have been saying, as Juliette has been saying, a lot of questions here, was this somebody that started shooting on the inside? I mean, you're talking about a large army installation. How did they get past, the badge, all the security, the gates, or is this somebody who penetrated from the outside? A lot of questions that still need to be answered. Dana?

BASH: Just -- let me just underscore a couple of things because as you said, this is all brand new information. As we see, we had at the bottom of the screen, we do right now, the new reporting is that five were shot at Fort Stewart. We don't know the situation and we don't know how those five individuals are at this point. But you also said that at 12:10 p.m. Eastern, so about a half an hour ago, the lockdown was lifted at most of the base except where this shooting took place. Do I have that right?

ROSALES: You have that correct. Right, the lockdown lifted at the majority of Fort Stewart at 12:10 p.m. But that second ABCT complex still under lockdown. That's where the shooting originated from.

BASH: OK. Don't go anywhere. Isabel, thanks for bringing us all that new information. Daniel Brunner, you are still there. What's your take on --

BRUNNER: Yeah.

BASH: -- what we just heard?

BRUNNER: Well, clearly, it's a big relief for the rest of the base and the community outside that the fact that they're saying that the shooter is taken into custody approximately 36 minutes after the first reports. It shows that law enforcement had to respond to the situation, that there are five casualties. It shows also that the individual wasn't able to do a lot of damage. Unfortunately, those five families are damaged and irreparably. So, but to say that, that is a controlled situation, understandably, that building is a crime scene.

So that's why I would say it's being considered in a lockdown, because I don't think that it would be a -- the rest of the base would be off of lockdown if there was no threat. And that building is being locked down. I think that's more of a -- they're keeping it closed for a crime scene. So that I would -- I would say, defer to that. Because it is an active crime scene, they're going to collect all the evidence and they'll probably bring in army CID, Criminal Investigative Division or, working with the FBI, and they're going to start looking at this individual they're having in custody. If he's talking, he/she is talking, and to talk to them and to find out if there are other threats.

That is the number one thing is -- is are -- were they motivated to do this? Was this impulsive decision right off the bat? Did they plan on this? Were there other people that influenced them? They're going to look at this individual's life completely from top to bottom. They're going to look at his digital history, computers, phones, everything, and they're going to talk to his, his/her friends, neighbors, everything. So this is where the FBI brings in their resources, having other divisions in other states. If this individual, was communicated, traveled like the Las Vegas shooter to New York City. So everything is going to get dissected slice by slice, making sure that the crime scene is intact, and then they're going to start slicing it back as quickly as possible to make sure there's no additional threats. BASH: And I just want to read a little bit more. Isabel reported most of this, but again, I just want to underscore because it's new. Five soldiers were shot in an active shooter incident in the second Armored Brigade Combat Team area. All soldiers were treated on site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. And there is no active threat to the community.

Now, this started happening at 10:06 a.m. Eastern. The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m.

[12:45:00]

So it's about a half an hour or more, about 40 minutes, where this was an active situation. And so as we learn -- we wait to learn more, it's probably going to be a while before we get a lot of answers to what you were saying, Daniel. The fact that this was possible, that these five soldiers were able to be treated right on site -- obviously, it's horrible thing that this happened on a military base, but perhaps because every -- there's so many facilities because it is a military base, they were able to be -- emergency personnel, medical personnel were able to be dispatched perhaps sooner than if it were somewhere else.

BRUNNER: Yeah, I think that -- one of the things that you have to really notice, you were saying the 40 minutes response time to getting that person into custody. I think that there -- this is something again, me being theorizing and hypothetical situations here, but an individual to be an active shooter and take as many lives as possible --

BASH: OK.

BRUNNER: OK? Like the Fort Hood shooter, that individual will go find a cafeteria where they can take as many lives as possible. You've got the Uvalde shooting. Anywhere where there's going to be a lot of people and they'd have time to conduct a shooting, they could take as many lives. The fact that there's only five individuals that were shot at this point, and there was 40 minutes before the individual was taken into custody, that to me says something that maybe this was more of a targeted situation, that they were going after people that they knew, that they had a beef with or some situation.

Because if you had 40 minutes and you're an active shooter and your goal is to kill as many people and you only -- and you're on a military base, it's -- it really draws into question, possibly with that 40 minutes, he could have done a lot of damage. The fact that he only shot five, again, those five is horrible. But the fact that he could have done so much more damage in 40 minutes, so that I think says to me, possibly showing a motivation here that this may have been a targeted situation.

BASH: OK. Thank you so much for that incredible expertise. We're so glad to have you here. We are continuing this breaking news situation. We're going to continue reporting on it and getting information, including a new statement from the White House. We'll bring that to you after a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:58]

BASH: Welcome back. More on the breaking news. Five soldiers were shot in an active shooter incident at the U.S. Army's Fort Stewart in Georgia. The nature of the injuries are still unclear, but all victims were taken to Winn Army Community Hospital. Officials confirm there is no threat to the community. Jeff Zeleny is here, along with Jeff Mason and the rest of our panel. Let's talk about what you're hearing from the White House. Jeff Mason?

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: So the White House just released a statement saying that the president has been briefed on the shooting and that the White House is monitoring the situation. That's a pretty standard thing to say when something like this happens. I would expand on that a little bit by saying every single president and presidency that I've covered has experienced mass shootings. And this counts as a mass shooting now because it's more than four people. It's the worst thing that can happen -- among the worst things that can happen and it's something that is -- presidents have to deal with in terms of watching and dealing with it.

I remember in 2018, the Parkland, shooting school shooting that happened. President Trump actually briefly considered taking action on gun control before getting lobbied against that by the NRA. It's a very, very big political issue in addition to the obvious, very important and serious human concerns.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Without question, I think it just enhances it when it's on a military base. It just adds a layer of complexity. He's the commander in chief, there's no doubt about it. So, as of now, we are just hearing from the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. I would expect that we would hear from the president. He often speaks after these -- or puts out some type of news. But, look, we have seen incident after incident. We don't know the details, but we do know that it was a gun related incident. It's something that has become horribly normal in our society.

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: I mean, no, this is -- this is a tough one for all of us every time we have to cover it and the way we have planned what we're going to talk about in politics and these things keep coming up in this country.

BASH: Yeah.

RODRIGUEZ: So it's one that I'm sure we're going to be hearing the president talking about in the coming minutes and hours.

MASON: Go ahead.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, the other thing I would say is like, I've been texting with sources in the Armed Services Committee and other places because this is a different kind of shooting when it happens on a military installation. And there are obviously going to be a lot of questions about, was this an internal, was this an external threat? What does this mean --

BASH: Right.

FOX: -- for the security apparatus moving forward?

MASON: And I would just -- I think you're spot on about the military aspect of this. The only other thing I would say is the president has come in and withdrawn or rolled back a lot of the gun --

BASH:

MASON: -- actions that the Biden administration did. That will probably get attention now too.

BASH: OK, stand by. I want to go to former Republican Lieutenant Governor, Jeff Duncan, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia I should say. And I should say, Jeff Duncan, I've had you on because I -- we were going to talk on "Inside Politics" about the fact that you've left the Republican Party and are now joining the Democratic Party. That's not what we're going to talk about because of what we're seeing in your home state of Georgia.

[12:55:00]

I'm sure you have spent a fair amount of time at Fort Stewart. Can you just express your thoughts right now?

GEOFF DUNCAN, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, GEORGIA: Yeah. Dana, your heart just goes out to those affected by this, obviously the victims that are involved, but also the families that are on those bases and affected. And certainly those military bases are such a part of Georgia. It's just woven into our fiber here, those huge families and communities. And so, our heart goes out to those. I can assure you, Governor Kemp will extend any state resources necessary to help facilitate any sort of processes involved around this.

But your heart goes out to it. There's more questions and answers in these situations that arise here. There'll certainly be pundits that talk about policy, but I think Georgians are focused in on trying to make sure these people are as safe as possible. It sounds like the shooter has been eliminated or at least no longer a threat, which is absolutely a first positive.

BASH: Can you talk a little bit more about this community? I mean, we've been talking during this show about how large it is, about 10,000 people live on the Fort Stewart base. And of course, we're not just talking about members of the military, we're talking about the families. There are schools on the base; there are civilians who work on the base.

DUNCAN: Yeah, no, it's a huge epicenter for all kinds of things. It's obviously for the military personnel themselves, but then their family and then all of the support infrastructure around it, the vendors that support those bases. It's huge parts of our rural parts of Georgia, all across the state. And so, it -- and I think one of the most unique stories that you hear is many of those military folks end up retiring back in Georgia. Obviously, their military career takes them across the world on a number of occasions. But many of those folks get to taste Georgia and decide to come back and retire here. And so that's just an amazing story that we get to tell as Georgians.

BASH: And when -- back when you were a statewide official in Georgia, I'm not sure that you didn't deal with a mass shooting like this. And as Jeff Mason was just saying, since it's five people you're talking about, it is considered a mass shooting. But I'm sure you've dealt with active problems like this. Just talk about what it's like to be in elected office and in a position of authority when something like this is going down in your state.

DUNCAN: Yeah, I think for me personally, one of the things that I've tried to utilize is just to block out all of the noise associated with partisanship and processes like this. I mean, there's going to be a time and place to talk about the facts that unravel from something that's as tragic as this. But I think it's most important to just block out that partisan noise and to be there as support for those law enforcement officers putting themselves in harm's way trying to eliminate the threat, for those medical professionals that are trying to take care of those that are injured, and from those support people around those kids at school. Somebody's parents were just negative -- you know, or hurt.

BASH: Yeah.

DUNCAN: -- or possibly killed.

BASH: Yeah. No, it's all important points. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it. And again, five soldiers were shot in an active shooter incident in the second Armored Brigade Combat Team area. There is no longer an active threat to that community there. We're going to continue to follow the breaking news in Georgia. Stay with us. "CNN News Central" starts after a quick break.

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