A US Navy sailor aboard the brand-new aircraft carrier the USS John F. Kennedy has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting a fellow sailor in the head. The incident came after multiple alleged incidents this year of the sailor brandishing his loaded service pistol at fellow sailors.
Massachusetts-born Jayjrion Rodriguez, a Boatswain’s Mate and an Aircraft Handling Airman Apprentice, is accused of using his service pistol to kill Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Jesse Braswell in an incident on June 6 when both men were serving as part of the ship’s port security detail. Rodriguez was then detained for five days but released. He has now been officially charged.
As per court documents, Rodriguez is charged with murder while engaging in an act inherently dangerous to another, involuntary manslaughter, three specifications of simple assault with a loaded firearm, and three specifications of reckless endangerment. The document also underlines that Rodriguez is accused of pointing his service pistol at three different sailors in separate incidents, one in February and twice in May.
“A thorough and impartial investigation”
As per US Naval Institute News, NCIS is leading the investigation, with their spokesperson Meredith March saying that, “NCIS is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to determine the exact facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.”
The USS John F Kennedy is a new aircraft carrier currently undergoing sea trials. Construction began way back in 2011 and was planned for completion in 2018, though multiple delays hit the project, with modifications to her design and “programmatic shortfalls” costing years. She is now scheduled to be officially delivered for active service in March 2027.
The last few weeks have seen several stories that don’t paint a rosy picture of life in the Navy. There’s a lingering political controversy revolving around conditions on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on an extended deployment that reportedly resulted in demoralizing conditions on board. This is said to have reached the point where sailors have attempted to hurl themselves into the ocean.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth rejected reports of dire conditions as “completely misrepresented” and Donald Trump said that an admiral had assured him that the Lincoln is “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of”. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego countered that the problems were due to poor war-planning in Iran, saying that the “administration did not plan for this war, did not plan how to get out of this war, and did not really understand how this war was going to escalate.”
More recently, we saw the saga of the USS Benfold, a destroyer which lost all power and drifted aimlessly for four days in the South China Sea, leaving those on board without a functioning galley, with no working toilets, and without any air conditioning. Benfold was eventually rescued by tugboats and towed to the Philippines for inspection.
Rodriguez will reportedly appear at an Article 32 hearing in the coming weeks.
Published: Aug 20, 2026 05:01 am