Emotional trauma of Fort Eisenhower murder leaves many on edge
FORT EISENHOWER, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Operations have returned to normal at Fort Eisenhower after a weekend murder on the post – but emotions have not.
The murder in family housing a guardsman in jail, and neighbors rattled across the post, which went on lockdown for a couple of hours Saturday morning.
Sirens and warnings of a possible active shooter woke up many residents.
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Celestine James has called Fort Eisenhower home for four years, but she’s never heard anything like she did on Saturday.
“I was in bed and was awakened by the PA system with an announcement saying not to leave your dwelling. We were on lockdown. ‘We’re on lockdown. Active shooter. Do not leave your dwelling.’ And it was like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ It was a shooting,” she said.
Authorities say the shooting suspect left the post soon after the incident.
But officials didn’t know that at the time.
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“A lot of people are still kind of nervous – nervous because ... it hits close to home,” James said.
The victim – Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. of Clarksville, Tenn., an Army reservist out of Fort Meade, Md. – died at a hospital about an hour after being shot in the chest around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, according to investigators.
Authorities say Natravien Landry, 25, of Abbeville, La., an Army National Guard soldier assigned to the 1148th Transportation Company at Fort Eisenhower, fatally shot a Stewart after finding him in bed with the mother of his child. She said she was in a romantic relationship with Stewart.
Landry was arrested three hours after the shooting on Interstate 85 south of Atlanta.
Crimes like this are rare at Fort Eisenhower, but murders do happen there.
April Evalyn Short, an Army spouse, was charged with premeditated murder and felony murder over the Nov. 15, 2023, death of her baby in family housing at Fort Eisenhower. She’s accused of cutting the child’s neck with a knife. She plans an insanity defense, according to her attorney.
But that case didn’t include the alarms and concerns about a possible active shooter on the loose.
Post commanders are aware of the emotional trauma of the case.
“Our Fort Eisenhower team suffered a tragedy this weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with a grieving family. I remain focused on ing anybody impacted – directly or indirectly – by this incident,” said Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic, commanding general of the Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Eisenhower. “I commend the swift action of our entire team and our community partners, who together are committed to safety, security, and care for those in pain.”
Jim Rhaesa, American Legion Post 192 commander, says the rarity of such a crime on post is part of what makes it so hard.
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“Anytime a soldier loses their life, or however it happens, it’s a tragedy that affects everybody in the community,” says Rhaesa.
Rhaesha says this incident is not only disappointing but abnormal for the military community.
“I can’t the last time that they had a shooting where somebody was killed or really even wounded,” says Rhaesha. “It’s kind of unusual for the community there.”
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Post leaders say they’re confident Fort Eisenhower is providing resources for the families impacted on base and they say they’re here connecting active and inactive military with financial, mental health and other timely assistance through partners like the American Legion Auxillary.
“We welcome new people,” says Gabriele Barnett, American Legion Auxillary’s first vice president. “You know, we welcome the younger generation, and if anybody just wants to come visit and talk to someone, we’re here for them.”
Pastoral and mental health care are available to anyone affected by the incident, and there’s a list of available resources under “Services” at https://home.army.mil/eisenhower/my-fort/newcomers.
Although the post has been somewhat sheltered, the CSRA has been caught in an outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 180 lives in under three years. Communities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River.
Janovic said it’s important after the latest incident to keep something like this from happening in the future.
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