A boater pulled alongside a North Carolina waterfront bar Saturday night and opened fire killing three people and wounding five others.
Southport Police Chief Todd Coring reported the arrest of Nigel Max Edge, a 40-year-old US Marine veteran, who faces charges related to what was described as a “highly premeditated” shooting attack, according to NBC News.
Authorities explained that following the incident, Edge, who recently changed his name from Sean William Debevoise in 2023, fled the scene using his boat to reach Oak Island, where he resides. A US Coast Guard crew intercepted him at a public ramp, detaining him before transferring him to the Oak Island Police.
“He acted alone,” Chief Coring stated on Sunday morning. “From our current investigation, this appears highly premeditated, and we believe there are no additional threats to our community.”
The shooting occurred at The American Fish Company around 9:30 p.m. while the bar was brimming mostly with tourists, as reported by the police. Todd Weaver, a local, mentioned he was at the entrance when shooting commenced and promptly called 911. He noticed a “boat going real slow with its lights off” and maintained his call with dispatchers until it vanished from view.
Police said an assault rifle was seized during a search of Edge’s boat.
Coring depicted Edge as a “self-described” combat veteran, with military records affirming his service in the Marines from September 2003 to June 2009, during which he rose to the rank of sergeant and was deployed twice to Iraq. He received several honors, including a Purple Heart and two bronze stars.
Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said Edge was “known” to police there and had filed several lawsuits against the town in recent years.
Though state agencies seemed to be aiding the investigation, no federal entities other than the Coast Guard were engaged as of Sunday. A motive for what police labeled a “targeted” attack has not been suggested.
According to the New York Post, Edge escorted “American Idol” star Kellie Pickler to the CMT Music Awards in 2012 and then later sued her, claiming she tried to poison him with tainted Jim Beam whiskey.
Law enforcement sources said Edge was heavily involved in Q-Anon conspiracy theories. Earlier this year, he filed a lawsuit claiming that “LGBTQ White Supremacists” and pedophiles were trying to kill him because’s he’s straight. The lawsuits accuse Southport’s Generations Church — a non-denominational church with a heavy focus on family and mission work — of being in on the plot to kill him, while another suit accused Brunswick Medical Center of trying to kill him. Both suits were dismissed.
Edge has been charged with three counts of first degree murder, five counts of attempted first degree murder, and five counts of assult with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, according to WBTV. Coring said he may face additional charges, The Associated Press reported. He’s being held without bond.
