Worker Shot Dead Aboard Newly Christened US Navy Destroyer At Ingalls Shipyard

A shipyard worker was shot and killed Friday morning aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Police have arrested another employee on charges of murder, and an investigation is underway into how the gun was brought into the secured shipyard.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m., when the Pascagoula Police Department responded to reports of a shooting inside the Ingalls yard. Ingalls’ management immediately activated a lockdown, issuing a shelter-in-place order for all personnel on site. More than 8,000 employees were organised into sections, and police searched through each group until they located the suspect.

After about 90 minutes of searching, police took Curtis James Jr., 25, of Mobile, Alabama, into custody without incident. Authorities recovered the remains of the victim, 27-year-old Tahj Johnson of Prichard, Alabama, at the scene. Both men were coworkers in the shipyard’s paint department.

According to officials, James and Johnson had an argument earlier in the week and again shortly before the shooting on Friday. Chief Terry Scott of the Pascagoula Police Department said no one else was targeted, describing the case as a dispute “between two young men.”

The shooting happened on board the USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), a Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that had been christened on June 27 and was already in the water. Police confirmed that the vessel sustained no significant damage.

Investigators are still working to determine how the firearm entered the facility. The gun used in the attack has not yet been found. Ingalls Shipbuilding said it is cooperating with law enforcement to review security procedures.

Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said the company is “deeply saddened” by the death of one of its shipbuilders and extended condolences to the victim’s family. He added that all employees were released for the day with pay, and grief counseling services will be made available. Blanchette said that Ingalls is a controlled facility where weapons are strictly prohibited and said the company would work with authorities “to get to the bottom of it.”

Local media reported that James had prior arrests, but in each case, the charges had been dismissed.

This is the second workplace shooting at Ingalls in the past 20 years. In 2005, employee Alexander L. Lett shot two supervisors after being denied a transfer. One supervisor died and the other was critically injured. Lett later pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.

References: USNI, cbsnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News