(NewsNation) — The man accused of shooting up a waterfront bar, killing three people and injuring five others in North Carolina, was a decorated veteran and Purple Heart recipient.
Nigel Edge, who changed his name from Sean William Debevoise in 2023, allegedly opened fire from a boat at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, shooting into a crowd gathered at the American Fish Company in Southport.
“Some facts that we have at this time are that we believe this was a targeted location,” said Todd Coring, Southport police chief. “It appears that he acted as what we call a ‘lone wolf.’ He acted alone.”
According to the Town of Southport, officers were called around 9:30 p.m. to a shooting on the waterfront at the American Fish Company. They found multiple injuries at the scene.
Officials said that shortly after 10 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard observed an individual who matched Edge’s description.
The Coast Guard detained Edge, 40, and turned him over to the Oak Island Police Department.
Nigel Edge was former Iraq War veteran
Edge is an ex-Marine who was wounded in the head, hip, ankle and shoulder while serving in Iraq in 2006, The Associated Press reports.
He told Wilmington Star-News in 2017 that he was left for dead after being shot four times during a raid on a warehouse.
The U.S. Marines said Edge served for nearly six years and was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and 2006, where he rose to the rank of sergeant.
He received a Purple Heart, a medal given to military members who are wounded or killed in action. He also was awarded a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon (Iraq) and Iraq Campaign Medal with two bronze stars.
“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran,” added Coring. “He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD.”
Edge arrived in North Carolina after a Veterans Affairs hospital in Florida told him that he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He recovered, and by 2017, Edge was able to walk again with a cane or walker.
Charlie Morris, Oak Island Police Chief, said that Edge had previously filed several lawsuits against the town and the police department in years past.
Prosecutors weighing death penalty for Nigel Edge
Edge 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 injuries. He appeared in court Monday but didn’t enter a plea.
Prosecutors said they’re weighing the death penalty in the case against Edge. He used an AR-style rifle with a silencer and scope to target the waterfront bar in a “highly premeditated” attack, police said.
“I will say that North Carolina is a state for which the death penalty is a potential, and my office does seek it in appropriate cases,” said Jon David, Brunswick County, North Carolina district attorney.