Adam Thompson is a digital content producer for CBS Baltimore.
The death of a 20-year-old U.S. Naval Academy midshipman is being investigated, the Naval Academy told WJZ on Sunday.
Midshipman Second Class Kyle Philbert James, a junior, was from Whippany, New Jersey. The Naval Academy said James was a member of the 36th Company, a history major, and participated in the USNA Gospel Choir.
"It is painful to lose a member of our Naval Academy family, and as we attempt to better understand this tremendous loss, we offer our deepest condolences to Philbert James' family, close friends, classmates, and company mates during this extremely difficult time," the U.S. Naval Academy said in a statement.
The Midshipman Development Center, Chaplain's Center, and Chain of Command will be available for counseling and support services to midshipmen, faculty, and staff, the academy said.
In August, the U.S. Naval Academy held a change of command ceremony in Maryland, where Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte became the first Marine Corps officer to be superintendent.
Borgschulte was deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Virginia, before being nominated to be the 66th superintendent of the military academy in Annapolis.
Borgschulte, who graduated from the academy in 1991, said he would safeguard its proud traditions while preparing future generations of officers for the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
"The academy exists not to pursue academic rankings or institutional accolades -- yes, we have those -- but to fulfill a sacred mission, and that's to develop the next generation of Navy and Marine Corps officers who will protect and defend the freedoms we as Americans so often take for granted," Borgschulte said during a ceremony marking the change in command.
John Phelan, the secretary of the Navy, called Borgshulte "a decorated naval aviator and a veteran of three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan who's led sailors and marines at all levels."
"He is someone who his fellow Marines describe as a military hybrid of modern tactics and ancient attitudes," Phelan continued, adding that he oversaw the highest recruitment and retention in Marine Corps history and will further cultivate "a culture of winning and warfighting here at the academy."
Last month, a former midshipman was arrested for allegedly making a social media threat to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, which led to a campus lockdown last week, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, Indiana, was arrested Sept 12 on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application, the FBI said. Jackson is a former midshipman, according to the Naval Academy. He attended the academy from June 2021 until January 2024.
Fleming is charged with making a threat across state lines in connection with the incident.
Around 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSAA) and local law enforcement responded to reports of a security concern on campus, and the campus was placed on lockdown.
While law enforcement worked to clear the building, a midshipman was shot in the shoulder and taken to the hospital, Naval Academy officials said last week.
"A security officer was going through room by room, and that's when the incident occurred,but again, non-fatal, going to make a full recovery," Rep. Sara Elfreth, who represents Annapolis, told WJZ.
A member of the Naval Security Force also suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital, officials said.
The threat was determined to be unfounded, and the lockdown was cleared overnight, according to officials.