SOUTHPORT, N.C. (AP) — A mass shooting that shattered the evening tranquility of a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina was a “highly premeditated” attack that left three people dead and five injured, police said Sunday. The suspect who allegedly carried out the attack on a waterfront bar was in custody.
Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island is accused of opening fire Saturday night from a boat into a crowd gathered at the American Fish Company in Southport, a historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington, Police Chief Todd Coring said.
At a press conference Sunday, Coring noted that the location was “targeted,” but refrained from providing further details. Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Additional charges may follow, according to Coring.
Authorities stated that Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, fired upon the crowd, and then sped away. The weapon used was identified as an assault rifle. Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew detained a person matching Edge's description as he attempted to remove the boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island.
“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran,” Coring said, discussing Edge's claims of being injured in active duty and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday. The district attorney revealed that among the five individuals hospitalized, at least one is “clinging for their life.” Some of the victims were reportedly vacationers from out of town.
Police Chief Charlie Morris stated that Edge was known to local authorities as someone who frequently visited the area and had previously filed lawsuits against the town and police department over the past few years.
Investigators from multiple agencies, including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard, are on-site collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses as they continue to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the shooting.
The names of the victims are yet to be released.
