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A weekend shooting that left three people dead and five others injured was “highly premeditated” and targeted a waterfront North Carolina bar, officials said.
The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, at American Fish Company in Southport, a maritime town in the southeastern part of the state. The popular spot is known locally not only as a waterfront bar, but also as a filming location for “Safe Haven,” the 2013 romantic thriller based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.
Investigators allege that 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge positioned himself in a white, center-console boat just off the restaurant’s deck before opening fire. At the time, live music was playing, and patrons were gathered along the bar’s waterfront area.
Authorities said chaos broke out as bullets struck people on the deck as patrons scrambled to safety. Edge, police said, sped away.
A man hugs a police officer in front of the American Fish Company following a fatal shooting that occurred the night before, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Southport, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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Roughly half an hour later, Edge was tracked down by law enforcement. The U.S. Coast Guard and Oak Island police intercepted him at a boat ramp, where he was taken into custody without further incident. Officials said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
On Sunday, officials said that the attack was deliberate and carefully planned.
“This was not random. It was highly premeditated,” Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press briefing Sunday.
Police officers on the scene in front of the American Fish Company following a fatal shooting that occurred here the night before, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Southport, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
The police chief said that Edge said he has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Defense Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that Edge is a decorated combat veteran who served in Iraq in 2005 and in 2006 was awarded a Purple Heart.
“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said.
In a 2024 federal lawsuit dismissed earlier this year, Edge made sweeping claims that included references to what he called “a Hate Crime (LGBQT toward a straight man (me)) who was raised as a straight male for (LGBTQ) purposes in an illegal pedophile sex ring.”
He also accused his parents of being “LGBQT White Supremacist Pedophiles” who falsified his birth certificate, drugged him and tried to profit from him, while tying his alleged mistreatment to the Iraq War, the Abu Ghraib scandal and the Jeffrey Epstein case.
On March 12, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina dismissed the case. Judge Louise W. Flanagan ruled that Edge failed to state any viable constitutional or tort claims, noting that his filings were filled with extraordinary accusations but lacked legal grounding. The case was formally closed with all counts dismissed.
Joey Whitaker from Holden Beach plays “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes in front of the American Fish Company following a fatal shooting that occurred here the night before, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Southport, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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Court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal that Edge allegedly used a short-barrel AR-style rifle outfitted with a suppressor, folding stock and scope.
District Attorney Jon David said Sunday “a lot” of the victims were on vacation and were not Southport locals.
“Sadly, a lot of the victims in this case appear to be not members of our community, but people who are here on vacation,” David said.
The filings also identify five victims by initials – JS, WP, JB, LB, and TL – tied to counts of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. In addition to those victims, three others were fatally shot during the attack, though their names have not yet been publicly released.
Nigel Max Edge was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting at American Fish Company restaurant in Southport, North Carolina, on Saturday Sept. 27, 2025. (Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office)
The 40-year-old suspect is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.
Edge, an Oak Island resident and military veteran, has not yet entered a plea.
People place flowers in front of the American Fish Company following a fatal shooting that occurred the night before, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Southport, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
A Brunswick County magistrate ordered him held without bond. The judge also directed that Edge provide both fingerprints and a DNA sample.
Probable cause was found, and the case has been bound over to Superior Court for grand jury review. Edge was scheduled to appear in Brunswick County Superior Court on Monday at 2 p.m. It was not immediately clear if Edge had retained an attorney. No lawyer was listed in the court filings.
A sign on a Mexican restaurant asks people to “Pray for Southport,” following a fatal shooting that occurred at the American Fish Company in the town the night before, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Southport, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
In a statement, American Fish Company said that it, along with the neighboring Frying Pan restaurant, would be closed indefinitely.
“Our hearts are broken, and our prayers are with the victims, their families and everyone affected by this tragedy,” they said. “God bless Southport.”
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Investigators from the Southport Police Department, Oak Island Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard are investigating. Forensic testing, including ballistics and autopsies, is ongoing.