BREAKING: Suspect Charged in Deadly Southport Mass Shooting Leaving 3 Dead and 8 Wounded

Southport, North Carolina – September 28, 2025

Authorities announced Sunday morning the arrest of 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge as the prime suspect in a brazen mass shooting at a popular waterfront restaurant the night before. The attack, which unfolded like a scene from a nightmare thriller, claimed the lives of three patrons and left at least eight others wounded, sending ripples of fear through Brunswick County's tight-knit shores.

The horror erupted around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the American Fish Company, a beloved outdoor eatery perched along the Southport Yacht Basin where the Cape Fear River meets the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Eyewitnesses described a scene of pandemonium as a single-engine boat slowed to a halt in front of the dock, its occupant unleashing a hail of gunfire into a crowd of diners enjoying the balmy evening air. "It was like something out of a movie—shots ringing out from the water, people screaming and diving for cover," one survivor told reporters, her voice trembling as she recounted the chaos.

Southport Police Chief Todd Coring, addressing a somber press conference early Sunday, confirmed that Edge—whose legal name was previously Sean William DeBevoise—had been swiftly apprehended less than an hour after the rampage. According to a U.S. Coast Guard crew patrolling nearby waters, the suspect was spotted loading his vessel at a public boat ramp on NE 55th Street in neighboring Oak Island, roughly 12 miles north of the crime scene. The guard detained him on the spot, handing him over to Oak Island police, who transferred custody to Southport authorities for interrogation.

Court documents unsealed Sunday reveal Edge faces a litany of grave charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Investigators allege he wielded a modified short-barrel AR-style rifle equipped with a suppressor, folding stock, and scope— a weapon that allowed for precise, silenced bursts into the unsuspecting crowd. Edge, held without bond at the Brunswick County Detention Center, is slated to appear in court Monday afternoon at 2 p.m.

As details emerge, a portrait of the suspect is coming into sharper focus, painting a picture of a man haunted by personal demons. Social media sleuths and unverified online posts have identified Edge as a former U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served as a sharpshooter during deployments in Haiti and Iraq, later legally changing his name amid a tangled web of legal battles and conspiracy-laden claims. Now a commercial fisherman residing in Oak Island, Edge reportedly launched a GoFundMe campaign to fund the very boat implicated in the shooting—a detail that has investigators poring over his digital footprint.

Edge's past is as turbulent as the waters he navigated: He has filed bizarre lawsuits accusing medical professionals of denying him care due to alleged biases tied to the LGBTQ community, and even leveled assassination threats against country music star Kellie Pickler, with whom he briefly dated and attended the 2012 CMT Awards. Photos circulating online, purportedly from his Facebook profile, show a rugged outdoorsman posing with his dog—a loyal companion some witnesses claim was aboard the boat during the attack. Though authorities have yet to confirm these connections, the revelations have fueled speculation about untreated mental health struggles and the lingering scars of military service.

The human toll of Saturday's tragedy remains heartbreakingly incomplete, with victims' names withheld pending family notifications. City spokesperson ChyAnn Ketchum confirmed at least eight injuries, some life-threatening, though two individuals reportedly declined transport to area hospitals. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has joined local forces in a multi-agency probe, combing the yacht basin for shell casings and witness statements under the glow of emergency lights that pierced the night sky.

Southport, a historic port town of just over 4,000 souls known for its antebellum charm and yachting culture, awoke Sunday to a community in mourning. "This is a very tragic night," Chief Coring said, his voice cracking as he implored residents to pray for the bereaved. "Just know you are as safe as you can be right now." Alerts urging shelter-in-place had briefly paralyzed the area, but by dawn, officials declared no ongoing threat.

This incident marks the latest grim chapter in America's ongoing struggle with gun violence, with the Gun Violence Archive logging more than 320 mass shootings nationwide in 2025 alone—incidents defined as four or more people shot, excluding the perpetrator. As Southport grapples with unthinkable loss, questions swirl: What drove a man from the water's edge to unleash such fury? And how can a community heal from wounds inflicted so close to home?

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