SOUTHPORT — At a press conference Sunday, Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David said officials believe a gunman who opened fire on the Southport waterfront Saturday evening targeted the venue where people were listening to live music and mingling on an outdoor deck. David called the incident “premeditated in nature” and is considering seeking the death penalty in the case.
READ MORE: ‘Tragic’: Southport PD chief confirms fatalities, injuries in waterfront shooting
ALSO: Man arrested for fatal shooting at Southport Yacht Basin
Three people have died and five are injured, with one person still “clinging for their life,” David said. However, the public-at-large is not in danger as Southport Police Chief Todd Coring noted the suspect, Nigel Max Edge, acted as a “lone wolf.”
Edge, 40, was arrested overnight and faces three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of common law-attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury. More charges are to be expected.
Coring asked for the public’s help, particularly anyone who has video, and who patronized the establishment either Friday or Saturday nights. The incident took place at the American Fish Company, a popular waterfront bar where Edge allegedly opened fire with an assault rifle from his boat at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Southport Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and Oak Island Police Department continue to investigate in a multi-faceted agency response. The shooting took place in Southport, though the suspect was taken into custody by the U.S. Coast Guard at a boat ramp in Oak Island.
“It was a very chaotic scene,” Coring described, noting some people fled before law enforcement arrived and could take their statements.
Alisa Noah was one of the people enjoying the band and camaraderie at American Fish Company on Saturday. Among the 60 or so people in attendance, she was there with a few friends, one of whom was visiting from New York on vacation.
Noah said the group was chatting around 8:30 p.m. and noticed a boat in the water behind them: “I wondered if he was fishing in the dark but I didn’t see any gear. … The other girls said he was there the night before, too.”
Suddenly, Noah described hearing a “pop, pop, pop” and at first thought it was fireworks. But upon looking up at the sky and not seeing colorful trails, she realized it was gunfire and took off running with one of her friends. She detailed people were running and dropping on the deck to take cover. Once outside the venue, Noach realized the third person in their party was still on the deck.
“So I ran back in to get her,” Noah explained, adding someone stopped her and forewarned: “Ma’am, you don’t want to go back in there.”
She pushed through to grab her friend and upon exiting the venue said an “exploding sound” whizzed by her ear; she is unsure but suspects it could have been a bullet that ricocheted off a structure. Though it didn’t strike her, Noach said she still hears ringing in her ear this morning.
“It could have been much worse for me,” Noah said. “But today I’m very full of anger — heartbroken and just shattered. You hear of these things happening in larger cities … but we’re a little fishing community and you don’t expect it here.”
Noah has lived in the area for almost a decade and though unfamiliar with Edge said her neighbors are aware of the suspect. They have indicated he is “unhinged,” she described, “someone who should not have access to weapons.”
Law enforcement said they executed a search warrant on Edge’s vehicle, boat and residence and retrieved multiple firearms, but wouldn’t elaborate further at Sunday’s press conference.
According to officials, Edge is a resident of Oak Island and self-identifies as a combat veteran who also suffers from PTSD.
Though DA David said the suspect is not well-known in the local criminal court system, officials are checking out-of-state records. Edge, who changed his name in 2023 from Sean DeBevoise, has lived in New York previously.
A 2020 self-published book, titled, “Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation,” under the DeBevoise name, details he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after 9/11 and was deployed three times. He wrote about being shot in the head and sustaining a traumatic brain injury in 2006:
“Returning from the warzone severely wounded, my life would never be the same as it once was,” he writes in his bio.
The book indicates the veteran is a victim of friendly fire, but claims it was organized by international conspiracy and alleges the military covered it up.
He also conducted an interview with the StarNews in 2007, noting shrapnel remained lodged in his brain from the incident, the aftereffects leading to sustained nerve damage.
By 2012, the Marine was chosen, with his service dog Rusty, to escort country singer and “American Idol” star Kellie Pickler to the CMT Awards, as covered by multiple outlets at the time. TMZ has reported Edge filed a lawsuit against Pickler earlier this year, claiming she tried to poison him with a whiskey drink.
Other civil lawsuits have been filed this year as well by Edge. One was against Southport’s Generations Church in the spring, with claims the LGBTQ community and white supremacist pedophiles were conspiring against Edge due to his heterosexuality. A similar claim was made in a January complaint against Brunswick Medical Center, though both lawsuits were dismissed.
Police Chief Charlie Morris said Sunday the Oak Island Police Department is familiar with the suspect, who has “hung out on [their] pier” and engaged with employees.
Earlier this year, Edge opened a complaint against the department. He filled out court documents asking for a video recording release of an interaction involving an FBI tip that Oak Island PD allegedly dispatched to Edge’s house. It was dismissed.
The DA vowed to seek maximum justice, perhaps the death penalty, for Saturday’s shootings. Though it would have to be vetted by a review committee to determine if it’s warranted, David detailed.
“Evil has come ashore in Southport,” he said at the press conference, “ironically enough at the very place that served as a backdrop to the movie ‘Safe Haven’ — symbolic to how people view this area. … peace and tranquility was shattered in our idyllic community.”
The shooting victims’ names have yet to be released, as some are from out-of-town according to the DA. Families have to be contacted first, but David expects more details to be revealed through the courts as the case moves forward.
Edge’s first court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, and he is being held without bond in the Brunswick County Detention Center currently.
Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Chism, also in attendance Sunday, praised law enforcement for acting so quickly. More so, he expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
“Our hearts are heavy this morning,” he said. “The City of Southport is a strong and resilient community, but we grieve deeply with them in this moment of loss.”
Governor Josh Stein also weighed in, noting he was “heartbroken” by the chain of events that unfolded: “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 will be visiting the Southport Community Building on Monday at 1 p.m.
The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners released a statement expressing “heartfelt grief and sorrow” for the victims and gratitude for the first-responders.
“There is a lot we still don’t know about this incident and a lot we may never understand. I pray for healing and comfort to those who are feeling lost or fearful at this time, and for peace to the entire Southport community,” Chairman Mike Forte wrote.
Upon an interview request, the American Fish Company noted it’s not providing comment to media currently. However, a social media post Sunday indicated it would be closed indefinitely, further stating: “Our hearts are broken and our prayers are with the families.”
Anyone wanting to provide tips, video or information to law enforcement should call Southport PD at 910-457-7911.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
