Overview
- Nigel Max Edge, 40, was detained by a U.S. Coast Guard crew about 30 minutes after the shooting while loading a boat at an Oak Island public ramp.
- 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, and is being held without bond.
- Police say a lone gunman opened fire from a small boat outside the American Fish Company around 9:30 p.m., then fled toward the Intracoastal Waterway.
- Officials report five people were wounded, including at least one in critical condition, and the names of those killed have not been released.
- Court records describe an AR‑style short‑barrel rifle with a suppressor, and Southport Police, the NCSBI and the Coast Guard are leading the ongoing investigation.