PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - The deadly shooting at Ingalls Shipbuilding was the result of an ongoing feud between two friends, Pascagoula detectives revealed Wednesday.

Curtis James Jr., the 25-year-old charged with first-degree murder, appeared in Pascagoula Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing.

Detective Jonathan Blakeney walked the judge through the evidence gathered.

Curtis James Jr., or CJ as he’s known, was on a paint crew assigned to DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton. The victim, Tahj Johnson, was also on that crew. Both men are from Prichard, Alabama, according to investigators, and had been friends leading up to the August 22 shooting.

The Monday before the shooting, CJ had been “bad mouthing” Johnson and his girlfriend, which led to a heated argument while on the job, Detective B

See Full Page