Suspect behind bars after love triangle turns deadly at Fort Eisenhower
FORT EISENHOWER, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A man is behind bars after a love-triangle murder left one soldier dead and put Fort Eisenhower on lockdown over the weekend.
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 man he found in bed with the mother of his child.
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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.
Landry was arrested three hours after the shooting.
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Charged with one count of murder, he was due in court Monday for an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps. A detention hearing is set for Wednesday in federal court, which is handling the case because the crime happened on an Army post.
Fort Eisenhower gate records show Landry came onto the post around 4:45 a.m., reported for drill duty and was released at 7 a.m., according to investigators. Records reflect he was to report again at 8 a.m. after an hour break.
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Landry drove to the on-post home of his child’s mother and got there around 7:15 a.m., according to investigators.
She said she was in a romantic relationship with Stewart – something she said Landry was jealous of – and they were in bed that morning.
She said she woke up to a commotion in her bedroom and saw Landry standing near the entrance of the room. She walked over to Landry and tried to talk with him, and when she turned away, she heard a gunshot from Landry’s position, according to investigators.
Witnesses in the home said a relative of the woman had been outside when Landry drove up and asked whose truck was parked there. Landry forced his way in when the relative tried to go back inside, according to investigators.
Another witness said she heard the gunshot and saw the flash in the hallway.
Investigators were told there was a struggle between Landry and one of the witnesses, who stumbled to the floor and fell down the stairs.
One witness said she saw Landry hit Stewart four times with the gun four times before shooting at him and leaving.
He reportedly left the post in a Toyota Camry just before Fort Eisenhower went on lockdown at 7:50 a.m.
That’s when alerts started going out for law enforcement agencies to watch for him.
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Investigators said they used surveillance camera sightings, cellphone pings and other means to track down the vehicle, and Landry was caught south of Atlanta on Interstate 85.
Meriwether County sheriff’s deputies had received a report that the car was in the area, so they watched for it on southbound I-85 around Mile Marker 29, according to authorities. When the car showed up, deputies conducted a felony traffic stop and saw the suspect toss a 9 mm handgun out the car window, authorities said.
The gun was recovered along with other evidence, and Landry was taken in for questioning, authorities said.
“Landry itted to, among other things, shooting Victim,” investigators wrote in a court filing charging Landry with murder.
Landry was transferred to Lincoln County jail, one of several facilities in the region that house federal inmates.
Meanwhile, Fort Eisenhower remains in shock over the death of Stewart, who ed the Army in 2019 and was a human resource specialist before transitioning to the reserves last year as a member of the 400th Military Police Brigade at Fort Meade.
“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.”
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.
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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.
And 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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