Worker Shot and Killed Aboard Brand New U.S. Navy Destroyer at Ingalls

 

A shipyard worker has been charged with murder in connection with a shooting aboard a vessel under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division, and the circumstances of the incident are under investigation. 

At about 0730 hours Friday morning, the police department in Pascagoula, Mississippi responded to the Ingalls yard after a report of a shooting. Ingalls' management initiated a lockdown protocol, including a shelter-in-place order for all onsite personnel.

All 8,000 workers on the site were organized into sections and the police searched through these groups one by one until they found the suspect, "which worked out very great," Pascagoula Police Chief Terry Scott told reporters.  

The police took the suspect in custody after about 90 minutes of searching, and the remains of one deceased employee were recovered at the scene. The Pascagoula Police Department has named the suspect as Curtis James Jr., 25, a resident of Mobile; and the victim as Tahj Johnson, 27. James has since been charged with murder in connection with the shooting. 

Curtis James Jr. (Jackson County Sheriffs Department)

James and Johnson were coworkers in the Ingalls paint department, and the two men had a disagreement, the police reported Friday. Local media reports suggest that James had had an argument with Johnson earlier in the week and again just prior to the shooting.

The suspect does not appear to have targeted other personnel or the vessel itself. The ship in question was the newly-christened destroyer USS Jeremiah Denton, according to USNI, and it sustained no meaningful damage.

James has a history of prior arrests, according to the local Fox News affiliate, but in all cases the charges were dismissed.  

It is not yet clear how James' gun made it past gate security, and Ingalls is investigating. The gun has not been found.

"Today is a day that we hoped would never happen here in our shipyard," said Ingalls President Brian Blanchette. "I am deeply saddened by the events of today, and I extend my sincerest condolences to our victim’s family."

The last workplace shooting at Ingalls occurred 20 years ago. In 2005, quality assurance worker Alexander L. Lett shot two supervisors after he was denied a transfer. One victim died and one was critically injured; Lett pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.