On September 27, 2025, a mass shooting occurred at the American Fish Company in Southport, North Carolina, United States. A person is believed to have opened fire from a boat in the Intracoastal Waterway at the bar before speeding away. Three people were killed and an additional six were injured.[4][5][6][7]
The American Fish Company is located within the Yacht Basin, a formerly operational harbor. Since then, however, the area has been converted into an entertainment district for the city with multiple eateries, a boat rental company, a tour company, and a seafood market located in the neighborhood. The Yacht Basin is a major driver of tourism in the area, with over 850,000 visits over the 12 months leading up to the attack, according to compiled data. The city of Southport has also been used as a setting in the films Safe Haven and I Know What You Did Last Summer as well as the television series Dawson's Creek.[8]
Shooting
At around 9:30p.m., a person on a boat coming up Cape Fear River opened fire on the American Fish Company bar during a concert, after anchoring at the bar. After firing at the bar, the person unanchored and sped away on the boat west up the Intracoastal Waterway.[9][10]
Shortly after 10p.m., the United States Coast Guard observed a person who matched the description of the shooter loading a boat at a public boat ramp in Oak Island to the west. The Coast Guard detained the suspect before handing them over to local police.[4]
Victims
Three people were killed and six others were injured, including one critically.[7] Two of the victims were killed by shots to the head.[10] Among the victims were vacationers from out of town.[9]
The slain victims were identified as 64-year-old Joy Rogers of Southport, 36-year-old Solomon Banjo of Charlottesville, Virginia, and 56-year-old Michael Durbin of Galena, Ohio.[11] Rogers and her husband were at the American Fish Company when shots were fired.[12]
Assistant District Attorney Jenna Earley alleged that the shooting was originally planned to occur the day before as a boater found the suspect, Nigel Edge, with his boat anchored at American Fish Company with the lights off on that day.[10]
Search warrants enacted at Edge's home in Oak Island in October recovered four more firearms (a Remington 700 rifle, a Colt revolver, a Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle, and a CMMG pistol with a suppressor), two iPhones, and a Lenovo V15 laptop.[16][14] Officials also conducted a search warrant on Edge's Facebook data.[14]
Accused
The Southport Police Department arrested and charged 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge of Oak Island, after custody was passed to them by the Oak Island Police Department.[17] Edge was imprisoned at Brunswick County Detention Center following his arrest.[18]
Southport police chief Todd Coring described the attack as "highly premeditated" and said that the suspect acted alone. According to court records, Edge changed his name from Sean William Debevoise in 2023. Debevoise was born on October 23, 1984 in Suffern, New York,[19][20] raised in nearby New City, New York,[21] and graduated from Clarkstown High School North in 2003.[22] Coring reported that Edge was a "self-described" combat veteran who served in the Marines from September 2003 to June 2009 and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Edge obtained multiple awards during his service, including a Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon for Iraq and an Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars.[23] In 2009, Edge filed for divorce from his wife.[24] In 2012, Edge escorted country music singer Kellie Pickler to the CMT Music Awards with his service dog Rusty while dressed in a Marine uniform.[25] In February 2025, Edge filed a lawsuit against Pickler, in which he alleged she had poisoned his drink in an attempt to kill him, but he only survived because he didn't drink it.[26]
In 2017, Star-News wrote a story about Edge, then known as Debevoise, in which they described him as a former Marine sniper who was shot four times in Iraq during the raid of an Al Zaidan warehouse on May 16, 2006.[27] Edge also self-published a book in 2020 on Amazon titled Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation (Truth Hurts). In the book, Edge wrote that he had been shot four times, including one bullet in his head that partially pierced his brain and another which paralyzed his left leg, as a result of friendly fire.[28]
Oak Island police chief Charlie Morris said that Edge was known to police as someone who frequented the piers and that Edge had filed multiple lawsuits against the town of Oak Island and the police department over the years. Edge had also sued doctors and a health center, in the belief that they had forged his lab tests to cause "emotional distress" to him and lead him to die by suicide. In court documents, Edge also alleged that he was the victim of a "civil conspiracy" and had been trafficked by the LGBTQ community as "a weapon of mass destruction".[24] The local district attorney, Jon David, stated that Edge had previous "minor contacts" with law enforcement before the attack, but nothing that would indicate that he was a risk of conducting such an attack.[9]
Legal proceedings
Nigel Edge was held without bond and appeared in court via video two days after the shooting and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury. The murder charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without possibility of parole, or the death penalty while the other charges carry a maximum penalty of over 41 years in an adult detention correctional facility.[10] Although the last time a person was executed in North Carolina was nearly 20 years ago, district attorney Jon David said that his office was seeking "maximum justice" in the case and did not rule out pursuing the death penalty.[29]
Edge had been scheduled to appear in court on October 13 for a hearing, but the appearance was postponed until the following month after his attorney was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict and successfully petitioned for a delay.[30] A disposition hearing for Edge was scheduled for November 13.[14]
Reactions
The American Fish Company and Frying Pan, another local restaurant, closed indefinitely as a result of the attack.[31] Local businesses, non-profits, and places of worship made efforts to support the victims and survivors of the attack. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team sent eight chaplains to support residents of Southport and a vigil, which was attended by over 1,000 people, was hosted at Southport Baptist Church on September 28.[32][33] On the same day, North Carolina governor Josh Stein also visited Southport where he joined local law enforcement and leaders.[34] Stein called for mental health reform and expressed support for a red flag gun law in a press conference after the shooting, stating, "There are people in our community who people know are a risk. A risk to others, a risk to themselves and they should not have firearms."[33]
North Carolina House speaker Destin Hall criticized Stein just ahead of his press conference in Southport for not signing House Bill 307, "Iryna's Law", immediately after receiving it. The crime bill, which was created in response to a fatal August 2025 stabbing in Charlotte of a Ukrainian refugee, included a provision which would require Stein to endorse the resumption of executions in North Carolina, did not include red flag gun law measures, made it more likely for people to be imprisoned or institutionalized when accused of a crime, and did not provide funding for anti-crime mental health care.[35] On October 3, Stein signed the crime bill, stating that the August 2025 stabbing and Southport shooting had raised safety concerns state-wide. However, Stein said after he signed the bill that there would not be a resumption of executions during his tenure as governor.[36]
Southport police chief Todd Coring praised the response of his officers, stating that they had arrived on scene within minutes of the first 911 call. Coring also urged unity and resilience in the aftermath of the attack and promised an increased police presence in the area where the shooting occurred. Additional police officers from across Brunswick County were brought in to support security efforts.[37] Southport mayor Rich Alt and local aldermen demanded that state and federal lawmakers pass legislation to improve and expand mental health services across the country. Some aldermen also supported the creation of red flag gun laws.[38]
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