FORT STEWART, Ga. — A series of social media posts from a soldier being held by military police at Fort Stewart sparked confusion and online rumors Wednesday, just hours after a confirmed active shooter incident left five soldiers wounded on the base.
TikTok Rumors Spark Confusion
The situation began Tuesday night, when Staff Sergeant Garvin, posting under the handle @hosealionell, shared a TikTok claiming he was being held at Fort Stewart’s MP station over an apparent AWOL misunderstanding.
Garvin said he had been on terminal leave since July 18 after receiving an honorable discharge and DD214, but was later contacted by the Army transition office, which told him his unit had reported him as Absent Without Leave (AWOL).
“How can I be AWOL with a signed leave form?” he said in the video.
@hosealionell #FortStewart #ARMY #miltok ♬ original sound – ℍ𝕆𝕊𝔼𝔸 𝔹𝕌ℝ𝔾𝕆𝕊
According to Garvin, he voluntarily returned to base to sort out the issue and was held at the MP station for several hours. Frustration with the situation grew, leading to multiple TikToks criticizing the Army’s out-processing system.
“They want you to go, but they don’t want to let you go,” he said in a Wednesday morning post. “If they want to hold me here, I got something for you. I’m gonna raise hell.”
Shooter Rumors Go Viral
Not long after the shooting incident at Fort Stewart, speculation online began to tie Garvin to the attack, with some users pointing to his recent TikToks as evidence.
Garvin quickly responded with a video statement around 2 p.m. EST, denying any involvement in the shooting.
“I don’t know what y’all got going on, but I did not shoot anybody,” he said. “I know I just left the MP station. I ain’t shot nobody. I get mad, but I don’t get that mad.”
His denial came before military officials confirmed the shooter had been apprehended separately.
Earlier in the day, five soldiers were injured in a confirmed active shooter incident in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (2ABCT) area near Wright and Evans Army Airfield.
Military police responded at 10:56 a.m., and the shooter was taken into custody without further violence by 11:35 a.m., according to Army sources.
All five wounded soldiers were initially treated on-site before being moved to Winn Army Community Hospital. Two were later transferred to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah due to the severity of their injuries. Initial reports indicate weather conditions prevented an airlift, so ambulance transport was used instead.
Lockdown Timeline
- 11:04 a.m. — Fort Stewart issued a base-wide lockdown.
- 11:40 a.m. — All gates into the installation were closed.
- Nearby public schools and DoDEA facilities were placed on soft lockdowns as a precaution.
Despite early fears of a second shooter, officials have confirmed there is no active threat to the surrounding community. The base remains under elevated security as the investigation continues.
Federal and State Response
- FBI Savannah and Army CID are leading the joint investigation.
- Governor Brian Kemp called the event a “tragedy,” while Rep. Buddy Carter and Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns issued statements of support for the Fort Stewart community and injured troops.
As of this report, the Army has not released the identity of the shooter or offered details on a motive.
Fort Stewart is home to the 3rd Infantry Division and is one of the Army’s largest installations east of the Mississippi, with a long history of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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