Police share new details about dispute that led to Ingalls Shipbuilding shooting
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Police say Curtis James Jr. shot Tahj Johnson at Ingalls Shipbuilding on Friday.
- Two days earlier, James allegedly fired at Johnson’s car and home in Prichard.
- Investigators cite a personal dispute, possibly over a woman, as the motive.
Two days before Curtis James Jr. was arrested in the fatal shooting of his co-worker at Ingalls Shipbuilding, police say he shot up the victim’s car and house in Prichard, Alabama.
The first shooting happened Wednesday night at the home where the shooting victim, 27-year-old Tahj Johnson, lived with his mother, Pascagoula Police Chief Terry Scott confirmed.
James, a 25-year-old Ingalls employee from Mobile, is in the Jackson County jail, accused of fatally shooting Johnson as he worked on a Navy ship around 7:30 a.m. Friday. Police say the shooting sent about 8,000 employees into a tense lockdown while authorities combed industrial warehouses and buildings for a suspect.
Johnson died of multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
Police have described Johnson and James as friends. As for the motive for the shooting, Scott said, “It looks like it’s going to be over a girl.”
Authorities in Prichard did not immediately return messages Monday morning.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 9:47 AM.
