North Carolina waterfront bar shooting: Suspect combat veteran arrested after 3 killed, 8 injured
Nigel Edge, 40, a combat veteran, was arrested for a shooting at a North Carolina waterfront bar, resulting in three deaths and eight injuries. He faces multiple murder charges and is known to have PTSD. Authorities believe the attack was 'highly premeditated'.
A suspect identified as Nigel Edge, 40, a combat veteran, was arrested for allegedly opening fire from a boat into a large group of people at North Carlina's waterfront bar in a coastal town on Saturday, which resulted in three deaths and eight injuries, officials said, AP reported.
Nigel Edge, a Purple Heart recipient for his service in Iraq, has been 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, according to Southport Police Chief Todd Coring on Sunday, the CNN report said. Authorities believe Edge acted alone and described the attack as “highly premeditated".
As per a report by AP, Coring mentioned, “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”, indicating to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Additional charges may still be filed, Coring said, the CNN report noted. Edge was arrested when the US Coast Guard found his boat following the attack, Oak Island Police Chief Charles A. Morris II said.
District Attorney Jon David stated that Edge is set to make his initial court appearance on Monday and is being held without bond. Of the five people hospitalised with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David stated, as per an AP report. Some of the victims were visitors from out of town.
Suspect had 'minor contacts' with police
Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said the suspect was known to officers as someone “who frequently hung out on our pier", and mentioned that he had filed lawsuits against the town and police department in recent years, though he did not provide further details.
The district attorney noted that Edge had “minor contacts” with police previously, but said there was “nothing significant in his past which would give us any indication that he was capable of such horror".
The shooting broke out around 9:30 pm near a well-known area of bars and restaurants along Southport’s waterfront, a historic port town located about 48 km south of Wilmington. Officials said that the attacker navigated a small boat close to the shore, paused briefly, then opened fire on the crowd before quickly fleeing. About thirty minutes later, a US Coast Guard team spotted someone fitting the suspect’s description removing a boat from the water at a public ramp on nearby Oak Island.