A 40-year-old Marine veteran who pulled up to a waterfront North Carolina bar by boat fatally shot three people Saturday night, authorities say, shattering the peaceful atmosphere of a community rarely touched by violent crime.
Out-of-towners were enjoying the warm weather and music on an outdoor deck at the American Fish Company in Southport, a small and tranquil city near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, when gunshots rang out. Eight people were injured and at least one victim “is now clinging for their life,” Jon David, district attorney for North Carolina’s Judicial District 5, said at a Sunday morning news conference.
Nigel Edge, who received a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq, was arrested Sunday and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said Sunday. Police think Edge acted alone and said the attack was “highly premeditated.” CNN is working to identify whether Edge has an attorney.
Additional charges are still possible, Coring said. Edge was taken into custody when the US Coast Guard encountered his boat after the attack, according to Oak Island Police Chief Charles A. Morris II.
The shooting in a small, idyllic waterfront community adds to the growing list of bars, restaurants, shopping centers, schools and other venues in the US generally thought of as safe that have experienced gun violence. There have been at least 324 mass shootings – defined as when at least four people are shot, not including the shooter – in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
“Evil has come ashore in Southport, North Carolina,” David said, describing the community as a place where violent crime is “virtually nonexistent.”
The attack is one of two mass shootings allegedly committed by Iraq War veterans over the weekend. Just a little over 12 hours after the North Carolina shooting, another Marine veteran, Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove his car into a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and then opened fire, according to police. Two people were fatally shot and eight injured. Sanford, who then set a fire that grew into a large blaze, was killed at the scene.
Just before 9:30 p.m., a boat approached the bar and the sole person onboard opened fire, city public information officer ChyAnn Ketchum said in a news release. The shooter then fled toward the nearby Intracoastal Waterway, heading in the direction of the neighboring community of Oak Island, North Carolina.
Many of the victims of the shooting appear to have been visiting Southport on vacation, David said. The shooting unfolded at a waterfront deck, where people were “just enjoying live music under the stars,” he said.
“The thread that connects everyone who’s a victim in this case to this point just appears to be a love of having a good time and enjoying all that Southport has to offer,” he said.
David said the victims may be publicly identified Monday, after their families are notified.
“It was a very chaotic scene” when police arrived, Coring said.
“I’m heartbroken by the shooting last night in Southport that tragically took three lives and injured others,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement. He said he and his wife “pray for their families and friends. 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,” Stein said.
The suspect is an Oak Island resident and was known to police, Morris, the police chief, said. Edge had filed several lawsuits against the town and the police department in the past years, according to Morris.
Edge was a sergeant who served in the Marines from 2003 to 2009, a United States Marines Corps spokesperson told CNN. He deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
He received a variety of awards for his service, including a Purple Heart – awarded to service members who suffer wounds in combat – and a Humanitarian Service Medal, the spokesperson said. His last assignment was in Wounded Warrior Battalion East, a North Carolina center that supports injured Marines.
Edge – who had changed his name from Sean DeBevoise – was featured in local news articles that discussed his service and his road to recovery from the injuries he sustained.
In the past several years, Edge had filed a string of civil lawsuits with rambling, sometimes conspiratorial claims. One lawsuit against the Department of Veteran Affairs was filed September 24, less than a week before the shooting.
Edge is set to appear in court on Monday. He’s being held without bond, according to the district attorney.
A motive has not been determined, but there is “no known further credible threat to the public,” the city release said.
Southport is located near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, roughly 30 miles south of Wilmington.
This story has been updated with additional information.
