One Killed, One Detained in Firearm Incident Aboard Carrier USS Kennedy
The U.S. Navy is investigating a fatal shooting aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford-class supercarrier.
At about 0516 hours on Saturday morning, an unspecified incident involving a firearm occurred aboard Kennedy, which is alongside at Newport News Shipbuilding after builders' trials. The Navy said that Boatswain's Mate Seaman Jesse Dean Braswell was killed in the "situation" on board.
Braswell was a Colorado resident who had joined the Navy in 2024 and arrived aboard Kennedy in March 2025. He was promoted to E-3 earlier this year.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
In a statement Sunday, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) said that it had detained one sailor in connection with the shooting and is keeping the individual in pretrial confinement. Charges have not yet been filed, and the investigation is still under way to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Navy and Newport News are working hard to bring USS Kennedy into service by 2027; the vessel is behind schedule and is needed to relieve USS Nimitz ahead of her planned retirement. The aging Nimitz's time in service has been extended by 10 months in order to await Kennedy's completion.