Suspect held in waterfront bar shooting that left 3 dead in North Carolina

Three people were killed and five wounded in Southport, N.C., on Saturday night when police say a gunman attacked a bar from the water, driving his boat up alongside an open-air dock-front bar and opening fire.

Nigel Edge was arrested Saturday on charges including first-degree murder in what police are calling a premeditated attack.

The suspect fled the scene, motoring his boat toward the Intracoastal Waterway. Half an hour after the shooting, at 10 p.m., “the Coast Guard observed a single individual matching the description of the shooter loading their boat at a public boat ramp,” said Southport Police Chief Todd Coring.

The attack took place at the American Fish Company, a bar and live-music venue. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact them.

“Our prayers are with the families and the victims of this tragedy,” Coring said at a press conference Sunday morning.

“A lot of the victims in this case appear to be not members of our community, but just people who were here on vacation,” said local District Attorney Jon David. He said one of the wounded victims was “clinging for their life.”

David said he arrived at the scene around 11 p.m. on Saturday and “saw with my own eyes the horror which has occurred in this case.”

Officials said they believe the alleged gunman acted alone and that there is no ongoing safety threat. David said Edge was “known to law enforcement,” but that there was “nothing significant in his past which would give us any indication that he was capable of such horror.” State voter registration records list Edge as 41 years old.

Edge had changed his name from Sean Debevoise, according to Southport public information officer ChyAnn Ketchum, citing the district attorney’s investigation.

So far this year, there have been at least 324 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive — that is, shootings where at least four people were killed or wounded.

Police described the shooter’s weapon as an assault rifle.

The American Fish Company said in a statement, “our hearts are broken, and our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragedy.” The business will be closed indefinitely.

Edge is being held without bond, authorities said, and is expected to appear in court Monday.