Authorities have named a suspect in the mass shooting from a boat that killed three people who were dining at the American Fish Company on the Southport, North Carolina, waterfront.
Jail records confirm that Nigel Edge, 40, was taken into custody on three counts of murder in Brunswick County on September 28.
According to The New York Post, Edge once escorted "American Idol” star Kellie Pickler "to the CMT Music Awards — and recently sued her, bizarrely claiming she tried to fatally poison him" at the event. He was previously known as Sean DeBevoise and wore a Marine uniform to the awards, The Post noted, adding that he was wounded in Iraq and allegedly suffers from PTSD. He filed other "wacky lawsuits," according to The Post.
Nigel Edge, who changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, appeared in his Marine uniform on the red carpet in 2012 alongside the singer as her special date for the night, accompanied by his service dog Rusty.
He is being held without bail, the records show. Nigel Max Edge is also being held on five counts of attempted first-degree murder for the mass shooting. WECT confirmed that Edge is being held in connection with the American Fish Company shooting. The motive is not yet clear.
According to the New York Post, Edge was "armed with a short barrel AR rifle, equipped with a suppressor, with a folding stock and scope" when he allegedly pulled up in the boat and opened fire on people who were dining at the restaurant.
On Saturday, September 27 at about 9:30 p.m., "members of the Southport Police Department were dispatched to calls of shots fired with multiple injuries at the American Fish Company, located at 150 Yacht Basin Dr, Southport, NC 28461," a news release from Southport police says.
"Just prior, a boat with a single occupant traveling on the Cape Fear River, paused briefly at the American Fish Company and opened fire, fatally wounding three patrons, and injuring at least eight others," the release says.
"The boat then fled the area, towards the Intracoastal Waterway in the direction of Oak Island," it adds.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard "observed a single individual matching the description of the shooter, loading their boat at the public boat ramp at NE 55th Street in Oak Island," according to the police statement.
"The Coast Guard crew detained this suspect, who is now being held by the Oak Island Police Department, and will be turned over to the Southport Police Department for questioning, with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation," the release adds.
The victims' names have not yet been released.