The individual charged with the murder of three people during a shooting at a busy waterside eatery once attended the CMT Music Awards alongside Kellie Pickler, prior to lodging a baseless lawsuit against her.

39-year-old Nigel Edge was apprehended Saturday evening following allegations he fired shots at the American Fish Company restaurant, a renowned tourist destination in Southport, North Carolina, around 9:30 pm.

Edge, who had changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, was ‘overjoyed’ to accompany the American Idol celebrity back in 2012, as revealed in photos of them together on the red carpet, with him clad in his Marine uniform.

‘I am overjoyed to be attending the CMT Music Awards with Kellie,’ he expressed to Taste of Country back then, mentioning he was even more pleased to consider her a friend.

‘She is the most sincere person I know. She is an angel,’ he added.

Despite his previously positive statements about Pickler, things took a turn in February 2025 when Edge sued her, alleging she attempted to poison him, a ‘straight man,’ at the award event.

In his lawsuit, Edge claimed that Pickler handed him a glass of Jim Beam whiskey that was ‘poisoned,’ which he chose not to consume as he wanted to avoid getting sick.

He went on to say that the ‘hate crime’ was orchestrated by Pickler who ‘attempted to murder the plaintiff in accordance with a white supremacist pedophile plan laid out in this discovery…,’ the filing reviewed by the Daily Mail read.

Edge has been behind numerous lawsuits filed in the state this year, according to records.

One of the legal filings accuses a Southport church of trying to kill him, according to the lawsuit filed in May.

In it, he claimed the Generations Church was behind a ‘civil conspiracy’ drawn up by the LGBTQ community and white supremacist pedophiles to kill him because he is a ‘straight man,’ the filing said.

Edge filed a similar lawsuit in January against Brunswick Medical Center, where he accused the facility of being part of a conspiracy launched by ‘LGBTQ White Supremacists’ who were this time out to get him because he survived their attack in Iraq, per the lawsuit.

Both lawsuits were dismissed with prejudice, records showed. The filing involving Pickler appears to remain open.

The Daily Mail contacted Pickler’s team for comment.

Several shots rang out before Edge allegedly fled the scene on the Intracoastal Waterway toward Oak Island – about 40 minutes outside of Wilmington – Saturday night in what officials referred to a a ‘premediated attack.’

Three people were killed and five were left injured after Edge, who identifies as a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, allegedly opened fire, according to police. 

Edge, who cops described as a ‘lone wolf’ in the incident, was armed with an assault rifle, police said Sunday in a press conference. Other firearms were also found in his vehicle. 

He faces three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. 

Edge, who resides in Oak Island and is ‘familiar’ among the local police department, is being held without bond. He will make his first court appearance Monday. 

The motive behind the attack remains unclear. The deceased victims have not been identified and at least one of the survivors is in critical condition, officials said. 

‘Sadly, a lot of the victims in this case appear to be not members of the community, but people who are here on vacation,’ District Attorney John David said.  

The shooter was the lone occupant of the boat. Shortly after 10pm the US Coast Guard observed a person matching the suspect’s description loading their boat on a public ramp, according to town officials. 

Edge was then detained by the Coast Guard and was brought in for questioning by the Oak Island Police Department with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation. 

‘Do not let this define Southport,’ Southport Police Chief Todd Coring. 

Following the horrific shooting, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said he was ‘heartbroken’ to hear the news. 

‘I’m heartbroken by the shooting last night in Southport that tragically took three lives and injured others. Anna and I pray for their families and friends,’ Stein said. 

‘I have been in touch with state and local law enforcement and the state will provide any support needed.

‘Southport is a small but strong community. May we all come together to support them as they heal from this horrific shooting.’

There is no longer an active threat to the community. 

Southport is about 30 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina on the Cape Fear River. 

The yacht basin from which the suspect fired is on the southeastern corner of the state, ‘where the Intracoastal Waterway, Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean converge,’ according to NBC. 

American Fish Company boasts itself as one of the neighborhood’s ‘favorite hangouts.’ On Saturdays their live band Bacon Grease takes the stage from 7pm to 10pm. 

The restaurant is one of many that line the marina.

It was also the backdrop of the 2013 movie Safe Haven, starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel.