AP file photo
Authorities have charged a suspect after a gunman opened fire from a boat at a waterfront restaurant in Southport, North Carolina, on Saturday night, killing three and wounding at least five others.Nigel Max Edge, 40, faces three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting at the American Fish Company in Southport, authorities confirmed, as reported by Fox News.Authorities said Edge arrived at the American Fish Company restaurant in Southport Yacht Basin, roughly 30 miles south of Wilmington, and opened fire on diners. Court documents said he was armed with a short-barrel AR rifle fitted with a suppressor, folding stock, and scope.
Who is Nigel Max Edge?
North Carolina authorities identified Edge as a combat veteran reportedly suffering from PTSD, as the suspect was taken into custody Saturday night following the mass shooting.Edge reportedly once escorted “American Idol” star Kellie Pickler to the Country Music Awards.Nigel Edge, who changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, appeared in his Marine uniform on the 2012 red carpet alongside Pickler, serving as her special date for the evening, accompanied by his service dog, Rusty, as reported by the New York Post. “Me and my date (Sgt Sean Debevoise),” Pickler wrote on X, sharing a photo of herself with the military veteran.DeBevoise, who was injured during his service in Iraq, later spoke proudly of the honour of accompanying Pickler to the event.Edge reportedly sustained injuries in two separate IED attacks during a 2006 tour in Iraq, as well as a gunshot wound that left shrapnel embedded in his head.In lawsuits and a book detailing his combat experiences, Edge claimed he was the target of friendly fire in a plot he alleged was orchestrated by “LGBTQ White Supremacists” because of his sexual orientation as a straight man.
