A sailor has been placed in pretrial confinement in connection with the death of another sailor aboard the PCU John F. Kennedy, after a shooting-related death early Saturday morning set off an active Navy investigation.
The victim was identified by the Navy as Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Jesse Braswell, who was from Colorado. NCIS responded Sunday to the report of the death aboard the carrier, and the service said the case remains under a thorough investigation to determine exactly what happened.
Charges have not been filed, leaving the confinement action ahead of any formal accusation. That is the sharpest sign yet that investigators are treating the case seriously while still working to establish the circumstances behind the death on board the PCU John F. Kennedy.
A Navy spokesperson said, “Our deepest condolences are with Seaman Braswell’s family, friends and shipmates,” and added that chaplain and counseling services are available on board and throughout the region for those affected.
The unanswered question is the one that matters most: what led to the shooting-related death aboard the ship before dawn Saturday. Until investigators finish their work, the death of Braswell and the confinement of another sailor are the only confirmed facts in a case that is still unfolding.
