Profile
news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
A 40-year-old man has been charged after a gunman on a boat opened fire on patrons of a waterfront eatery at a North Carolina marina Saturday night, leaving three people dead and several others injured, officials said.
The boat paused in front of American Fish Company at Southport Yacht Basin and a gunman opened fire, said ChyAnn Ketchum, a spokesperson for the city of Southport.
Nigel Max Edge was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder on Sunday morning. Court records do not list an attorney for Edge and jail records show he remains in custody without bond.
Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said \u201cpossibly six\u201d injured people were being treated at hospitals following the shooting. Details on their conditions were unavailable. The city initially said eight people were injured.
The three people killed were not publicly identified early Sunday.
Dosher Memorial Hospital confirmed in a statement that its staff treated two patients for gunshot wounds. Both were stabilized and released to go home.
The shooter fled toward the adjacent Intracoastal Waterway, Ketchum said. The boat may have been headed toward the neighboring community of Oak Island, where authorities were continuing their investigation, Coring said.
Oak Island said in a statement that a U.S. Coast Guard crew detained a person matching the description of the shooter after spotting them loading a boat at a public ramp in the town.
Though a motive was unavailable, Coring sought to reassure residents that the violence was over.
\u201cI\u2019m comfortable to say that we don\u2019t feel like there\u2019s any additional threats to the community,\u201d he said.
The earlier report of an active shooter at the marina prompted a law enforcement response. The city of Southport in a statement had urged people in the area to \u201cremain in your homes\u201d and report anyone suspicious to authorities via 911.
The Brunswick County Sheriff\u2019s Office said that it is one of multiple law enforcement agencies in the region that responded to the incident.
\u201cPlease keep all those affected, as well as our first responders, in your thoughts and prayers,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office said.
Coring said the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting the investigation.
\u201cWe\u2019re a small community, one of the communities where everybody knows everybody,\u201d the chief said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a very tragic night.\u201d
The yacht basin is in the southeastern corner of the state, \u201cwhere the Intracoastal Waterway, Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean converge,\u201d according to state tourism organization Visit North Carolina. The basin is lined with restaurants, it says.
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Bella LoBue is a\u00a0Assignment Editor at NBC News Digital.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n