An Oak Island man accused of killing three people in a mass shooting at a Southport bar over the weekend is a combat veteran who says he suffers from PTSD, according to Southport police.
Police said that around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night, 40-year-old Nigel Edge was on a boat when he opened fire at patrons at the American Fish Company in Southport, which is near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The boat continued in the direction of Oak Island, where the Coast Guard took Edge into custody.
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He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Three people died in the shooting and five others were injured. In a Sunday news conference, police said at least one of the five injured is in critical condition. Jon David, district attorney for Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus counties, said many of the victims appear to be people who were on vacation, and their identities would not be released until families could be notified.
During Edge's first appearance in court Monday afternoon, David said that Edge was a former Sergeant with the Marine Corps and was previously a scout sniper. He mentioned that Edge had a traumatic brain injury and suffers from "significant mental health issues."
Prosecutors during his court appearance said the attack was premeditated.
Officials said that on the night before the shooting, Edge was seen pulling up to the same dock at American Fish Company with his lights off. Officials added that another boat pulled up, which might have scared Edge away.
When he came back Saturday night, officials said he shot at least eight people, killing three with gunshots to their heads.
Local law enforcement and Gov. Josh Stein came together for a press conference Monday, an hour before Edge was scheduled to appear in court. Stein said he is heartbroken for the families of the three people who died in the shooting.
"Southport is known across the state as a tight-knit community," Stein said. "All of us can imagine, a warm Saturday night, a special date night sitting on the dock by the water...no one goes into that thinking tragedy is possible, but two nights ago, it happened."
Stein stated that, to him, more must be done to prevent these acts of violence. He also said that the "broken mental healthcare system" must be fixed.
"We know the vast majority of those folks pose no risks but some can. There are too many people in our communities with dangerous obsessions who do pose risks," Stein continued.
When asked if a potential "red flag" law could have been made a difference in Edge's involvement with the shooting, Stein said he didn't know if the local community knew enough about his behaviors to trigger the "red flag." This law would enable authorities to confiscate firearms from people who are considered dangerous to themselves or others, a law Stein says he thinks is a good idea.
What we know about Edge's military history, encounters with the law
The shooting is not the first time Edge has had lengthy interactions with the law. Court documents showed that Edge filed five civil lawsuits, most of which were dismissed — all within this year.
In January, he sued Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, a Durham doctor and a woman for what he claimed was medical malpractice. That case was dismissed in April.
In March, Edge filed a petition to obtain body camera footage from the Oak Island Police Department from two instances in which he claimed that the police showed up to his home after receiving a tip from the FBI and when police responded to a vandalism report on his boat.
The court denied access to footage relating to the FBI tip, but did grant him access to some of the recordings from the vandalism report in May.
In late April, Edge filed a lawsuit against two people whom he claimed attempted to poison him in 2023, when he was under the name “Sean DeBevoise.” He claimed that the two men were members of the “Klan” and that he had “been victim to his entire life…[by] motives and intents of numerous hate crimes.” That lawsuit was dismissed in August.
Edge legally changed his name from Sean William DeBevoise in 2023.
In May, Edge sued Generations Church in Southport, claiming that the church “human trafficked” him and attempted to murder him by “poisoning” and “promoting suicide.” Edge’s exact lawsuit claimed that he had been “subjected to multiple and continual ‘hate crimes’ because he is not gay or LGBQT.” That lawsuit was dismissed in September.
On August 15, a Brunswick County court manager filed a gatekeeping order against Edge, which would require him to get court permission before filing any other lawsuits. He was scheduled to appear in court to answer to this order on Oct. 7.
Service records confirmed that Edge, then DeBevoise, served in the Marines from 2003 until 2009. He was promoted to sergeant in August 2007.
His military service record shows multiple awards, including the Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. He was deployed to Iraq twice during his service. His last assignment was with the Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp Lejeune.
In 2020, under the DeBevoise name, he published a book on Amazon called "Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation," in which he allegedly dives into the "mysterious story that the US military doesn't want you to know." The book's biography claims that Edge, then DeBevoise, was nearly killed by his own Marines and had taken four bullets, including one to his head.
The suspect in another mass shooting that happened over the weekend at a Michigan church was also a former Camp Lejeune Marine. It's not clear whether that suspect and Edge ever crossed paths.
After Monday's first court appearance, a judge ordered that Edge continue to be held in the Brunswick County Detention Center without bond. His probable cause hearing is set for Oct. 13.
David said in the coming weeks, he will determine if pursuing the death penalty for Edge is appropriate.
Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said the shooting appeared to be targeted, and Edge acted alone.
"He acted as what we call a 'lone wolf,'" Coring said. "This is highly premeditated from what we're seeing at this time, and we feel there are no other threats to our community. That's what's important that I want the community to know -- that we do have someone in custody and we feel like we have no other threats at this time."
The American Fish Company bar is closed indefinitely in the wake of the shooting.