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SOUTHPORT, N.C. \u2014 A lone gunman killed three people and injured five others at a packed North Carolina waterfront bar late Saturday in what police described as a \u201chighly premeditated\u201d attack.
Nigel Max Edge, 40, was detained by the Coast Guard and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon 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 that officers were dispatched to the American Fish Company at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night. According to reports, the shots came from a boat in the waterway outside of the bar.
\u201cHe acted alone,\u201d Coring told reporters Sunday morning. \u201cThis is highly premeditated, from what we\u2019re seeing at this time, and we feel there are no other threats to our community.\u201d
The three people killed were not publicly identified.
Dosher Memorial Hospital confirmed in a statement that its staff treated two patients for gunshot wounds. Both were stabilized and released to go home.
District Attorney John David described one of the victims as \u201cclinging to life.\u201d
Edge allegedly fled the scene on his boat and headed toward the neighboring community of Oak Island, officials said. Edge is a resident of Oak Island, where local police said they were aware of him.
A U.S. Coast Guard crew detained Edge and turned him over to the Oak Island Police after spotting him allegedly loading a boat at a public ramp in the town.
Todd Weaver, a local resident, told NBC News that he was near the entrance of the American Fish Company when he began hearing what he first thought were fireworks. But when the popping sounds grew faster and people started running or dropping down, Weaver realized what was happening.
He called 911 and then walked to the end of the bar, where he saw a \u201cboat going real slow with his lights off.\u201d Weaver said he stayed on the phone with 911 until the boat was out of sight.
\u201cAnd then I turned around and saw people just laying everywhere that were shot,\u201d Weaver said.
One of Weaver\u2019s friends was grazed in the thigh but was released from the hospital after getting stitches, he said. Weaver said he saw one person shot in the head and another person who appeared to be shot in the stomach.
He\u2019s shaken after the shooting, left wondering why this would happen to their community.
\u201cAnd then to see the carnage, I just, you never get that out of your head,\u201d Weaver said. \u201cWith somebody shot in the head and sitting there trying to console his wife with her husband dead right beside her.\u201d
Law enforcement officials from the Oak Island Police, Southport Police, the sheriff\u2019s office and the State Bureau of Investigation searched Edge\u2019s boat, vehicle and residence. Officials did not provide many details but said an assault rifle was found during the search.
Court records show that Edge changed his name in 2023 from Sean William Debevoise.
Coring told reporters that Edge is a \u201cself-described\u201d combat veteran who was injured in the line of duty and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Edge served in the Marines from September 2003 through June 2009, according to military records. He attained the rank of sergeant and was deployed to Iraq.
Records from the Marines show he received numerous awards, including a Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon for Iraq and an Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars.
Edge\u2019s ex-wife, Rachel Crowl, told NBC News that she has not spoken to her ex-husband in about a decade. Court records show their divorce was finalized in 2009.
Crowl said he had been \u201ccrying out for help for a long time\u201d regarding his behavior and mental health. Referring to Edge by his prior name, Crowl added that \u201cwhat Sean did was very wrong.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m sad for these families. I\u2019m sad nobody helped him and this could have maybe been prevented,\u201d Crowl said.
Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said that Edge was known to his officers, as Edge \u201cfrequently hung out on our pier.\u201d He also filed several lawsuits against the town of Oak Island within the last couple of years, Morris said.
The district attorney described the victims as vacationers visiting the waterfront bar, where live music was playing.
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.
David, the DA, noted that the area once served as the backdrop to the 2013 film \u201cSafe Haven,\u201d an adaptation of the popular Nicholas Sparks novel.
\u201cAnd that name is symbolic of the way in which the people in our community view this area,\u201d David said.
Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she\/her.
Aaron Gilchrist is a national correspondent for NBC News.
Dan Gallo is an NBC News field producer based in New York.\u00a0
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