Overview

• Authorities say a lone boater paused outside the American Fish Company in Southport around 9:30 p.m. and opened fire into a crowd, killing three and wounding others before fleeing toward the Intracoastal Waterway.
• A U.S. Coast Guard crew detained a person matching the suspect description about 30 minutes later at the NE 55th Street public boat ramp on Oak Island and turned him over to local police.
• Officials identified the suspect as Nigel Max Edge of Oak Island and charged him 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, inflicting serious injury.
• Charging documents cited in multiple reports allege the use of a short‑barrel AR‑style rifle equipped with a suppressor, folding stock, and scope.
• Southport Police and the North Carolina SBI are leading a multi‑agency investigation with Coast Guard support; victim identities and final injury counts have not been released, and the American Fish Company says it will close indefinitely.