Worker Killed in Shooting on Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer at Ingalls Shipbuilding

One worker was killed Friday in a shooting aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, police said.

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Curtis James Jr. of Mobile, Alabama, was arrested about 90 minutes after the shipyard went into lockdown. The victim, a 27-year-old from Prichard, Alabama, has not yet been named publicly.

Authorities said both men worked in the painting department and had an ongoing dispute. No other injuries were reported.

The shooting occurred aboard the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer christened earlier this summer. Officials confirmed the ship was not damaged.

Around 8,000 employees were inside the 800-acre shipyard when the incident began. Workers were told to shelter in place while police carried out a worker-by-worker search before detaining the suspect.

The firearm has not yet been recovered, and investigators are examining how it entered the restricted facility.

This is the second shooting at Ingalls in 20 years. In 2005, a worker killed one supervisor and injured another.

Ingalls Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries, employs over 11,000 workers and builds surface combatants and amphibious warships for the U.S. Navy.

The investigation continues.