Army Criminal Investigation Division handles Fort Eisenhower murder case
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Love triangle turned deadly at Fort Eisenhower, investigators say
New details are emerging about a love-triangle murder that left one soldier dead and put Fort Eisenhower on lockdown over the weekend as officials feared an active shooter on the loose.
FORT EISENHOWER, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - We learned Monday morning that neither the suspect nor the victim of the weekend’s Fort Eisenhower shooting were active of the Army.
One was a reservist and one was a National Guard member.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division told News 12 on Monday morning it is “actively investigating” Saturday morning’s shooting that killed one person in on-post housing and led to the lockdown of the post and arrest of a suspect.
Authorities haven’t released the name of the suspect or the victim.
However, the Criminal Investigation Division told News 12 that “none of the individuals involved were active-duty of the U.S. Army.”
The suspect was caught off-post after the incident, according to Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic, commanding general of the Cyber Center of Excellence in Fort Eisenhower. After the shooting, area law enforcement agencies were asked to be on the lookout for a white Camry with a Tennessee tag on Inerstate 20 heading toward South Carolina.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division said because the investigation is ongoing, it’s not releasing further information.
Post commanders are being equally tight-lipped about the details, although they said the incident appears to be isolated and there was no threat to the public.
They said Saturday afternoon that any information about the victim was being withheld pending notification of their family.
“The family deserves time to process this tragedy,” Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic, the commanding general of the Cyber Center of Excellence in Fort Eisenhower, said Saturday afternoon at a news conference.
He said the health and well-being of those on post is his top priority.
“I’m marshaling resources that we have from our own hospital, from our own chaplaincy, from our own chains of command, to make sure we understand those who maybe impacted and provide that if I find that I need external resources. I know that our community partners will apply those as we ask for them,” he said.
It’s important to work on keeping something like this from happening in the future, he said.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation in cooperation with state and federal partners.
Fort Eisenhower went on lockdown Saturday morning for a couple of hours due to the incident, and several events on the post were canceled.
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“Fort Eisenhower is actively ing the victim’s family and assistance will be available to anyone impacted by this tragedy. The safety of our residents and personnel remains our primary concern,” the post said on Facebook.
Congressman Rick Allen released a statement about the shooting on Saturday afternoon.
“My office and I are seeking additional answers on today’s tragic events that unfolded at Fort Eisenhower which led to heartbreaking loss of life,” Allen said in the statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and are praying for the victim’s family and all those impacted.”
Post officials say the incident happened around 7:50 a.m.
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In announcing the lockdown, the Army installation posted on Facebook around 9 a.m.:
LOCK DOWN! LOCK DOWN!
EXECUTE LOCK DOWN PROCEDURES ON THE INSTALLATION IMMEDIATELY! IF YOU ARE IN DANGER TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION!
LOCK DOWN! LOCK DOWN!
Message issued by the Fort Eisenhower EOC
Updates will be provided as information becomes available
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The all-clear was issued around 9:45 a.m. after the post went on lockdown earlier.
Around the same time, local law enforcement agencies issued an alert on radio asking for officers to be on the lookout for a white Toyota Camry bearing a Tennessee tag.
The radio message said the car was “last seen near mile marker 145 on I-20 heading towards South Carolina for a murder on Fort Gordon earlier today.” Fort Gordon is the former name of Fort Eisenhower.
The all-clear message on Facebook stated:
The dangerous event has ed. All personnel can resume normal operations at this time.
The drama unfolded as the post was preparing to host an event in commemoration of the Army-Navy football game, which starts at 3 p.m.
The post had planned the “Fort Eisenhower Army Navy Football Challenge” sometime after 9:45 a.m., featuring an opening ceremony, a JROTC Army-Navy flag football game, followed by a Fort Eisenhower Intramural Army-Navy flag football game and picnic.
Those events were canceled, according to the post.
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