COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division is expected to lead the investigation into the mass shooting at Fort Stewart, where five soldiers were shot.
Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, who has extensive experience with Army CID, explained that the division has primary jurisdiction over the mass shooting at Fort Stewart.
Owens served as a command sergeant major in the Army Reserve, overseeing four CID battalions, and highlighted the specialized training CID agents receive for active shooter situations.
Owens said CID is always prepared for active shooter scenarios.
“They have extensive training in that,” Owens told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne. “A CID agent will receive top-tier training that the Army has to offer for them. They are the cream of the crop for investigative capability. So, they would not only attend active shooter familiarization, but also in methods to investigate those crimes.”
Retired Army Col. Cullen Wright, who commanded the CID battalions, described CID agents as “the cream of the crop for investigative capability.”
“CID, along with their other federal partners, has tremendous reach to be able to look and put parts of the puzzle together to hopefully figure out if there were warning signals and what they were, things to watch in the future, just lessons learned in general. They’ll also look to see if there is an additional threat that could be present with this because that’s a very immediate concern. This is part of a series or a group, which I don’t hear anything today that leads me to believe that. But they do have a lot of cyber and investigative,” Wright said.
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Owens emphasized the high level of training and specialization among CID agents, noting their expertise in various investigative techniques.
He expressed confidence in their ability to handle the Fort Stewart investigation.
“They’re very good, highly trained individuals. A lot of them are specialists in their particular craft within the CID,” Owens said.
Wright mentioned the collaborative efforts between CID and federal partners, such as the FBI, to piece together evidence and assess any potential ongoing threats.
He noted that CID’s reach allows them to analyze warning signals and learn lessons for future prevention.
The investigation will involve detailed forensic analysis, including trajectory and blood splatter assessments, as well as gathering witness statements and reviewing security footage.
Much of the Fort Stewart physical evidence may wind up at the Defense Forensic Science Center at the former Fort Gillem here in metro Atlanta.
“It is an amazing facility with brilliant people there that are very, very good at what they do,” Wright said.
Wright said there will be hours and hours of processing the crime scene, doing trajectory analysis of any rounds that were fired, blood splatter analysis and looking at any projectiles or shell casings. He said there will be witness statements, searching social media, and looking at any security cameras near the incident and a lot more.
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