SOUTHPORT — A shooting that took place at the Southport Yacht Basin on Saturday evening has left in its wake multiple injuries and fatalities.
UPDATE: Man arrested for fatal shooting at Southport Yacht Basin
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. after multiple people called 911 reporting 10 to 15 gunshots heard in the Southport Yacht Basin. A shooter on a boat opened fire at customers at the American Fish Company, a popular bar that has appeared in films including “Safe Haven” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
According to Southport spokesperson ChyAnn Ketchum, the boat appeared to have a single occupant and fled the scene into the Intracoastal Waterway toward Oak Island.
It triggered an active shooter emergency, with varied agencies responding to the scene, including the Southport Police Department, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and ATF agents.
Three people are dead and six to eight people are injured, Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said in a late-night press conference. The names of victims are not being released currently.
The State Port Pilot first reported the fatalities and that injured victims were transported to Novant’s New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington and to Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport to be treated.
“Our prayers are with them,” Coring said, calling the incident “tragic” and unlike anything he has seen in his many years at the department.
Ketchum confirmed a suspect is in custody as of 10 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard detained a person, who matched the description of the shooter, loading the boat onto a public ramp at NE 55th Street in Oak Island. The suspect is being held by the Oak Island Police Department, to be turned over to the Southport Police Department for questioning, with assistance from the SBI.
Law enforcement said the investigation continues and asks anyone with information to call 910-457-7911.
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