PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Authorities have identified the suspect in Friday morning’s fatal shooting at Ingalls Shipbuilding, the state’s largest manufacturing employer and a critical shipyard for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Police say the gunman is Curtis James of Mobile, Alabama, who is now in custody following the deadly incident.
According to the Pascagoula Police Department, officers were dispatched to the shipyard at approximately 7:32 a.m. on August 22, 2025, after receiving reports of an active shooter inside the sprawling facility. When they arrived, law enforcement discovered one victim — a painter employed at Ingalls — who had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Ingalls Shipbuilding confirmed the emergency, saying: “We are urging all personnel to shelter in place and to await further instructions. Law enforcement was promptly notified and is currently at the shipyard and responding to the situation.”
For several tense hours, the shipyard was placed on lockdown as heavily armed officers from multiple agencies secured the area. By mid-morning, police confirmed that James had been taken into custody without further incident, ending the immediate threat to employees.
As investigators began piecing together what happened, police revealed a troubling backstory that connected the shipyard shooting to an earlier crime. Authorities say that on Friday morning, prior to the Ingalls incident, James’ wife was found dead at a residence with evidence suggesting she had been killed the night before.
Detectives now believe the violence was domestic-related. Investigators allege James specifically targeted the Ingalls worker — the painter who was killed — because of his involvement in a relationship with James’ wife.
The dual tragedies have rattled Pascagoula and beyond, not only because of the loss of life but also because of the setting. Ingalls Shipbuilding, located along the Pascagoula River, has been in operation for more than 85 years and is Mississippi’s largest manufacturing employer, with thousands of workers. It is also the largest supplier of U.S. Navy surface combatants, making security at the site a matter of national interest.
Local leaders expressed shock that such violence reached the shipyard, a cornerstone of the community and a workplace relied upon by thousands of families in Jackson County. While the facility reopened later in the day, counseling services have been offered to employees shaken by the morning’s events.
Police say their investigation is ongoing and that more details, including formal charges against Curtis James, will be released in the coming days. For now, Pascagoula mourns both the woman found slain earlier that morning and the Ingalls worker who lost his life while simply reporting for duty.
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