Following the awful Saturday night shooting at a waterfront restaurant in Southport, North Carolina, we reported that there was a “person of interest” in the case.
That person is now confirmed to be 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge (some reports have him at 39), a former Marine sniper who was badly wounded in Iraq (including taking a shot to the head). He has now been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of common law attempted first-degree murder, Southport Police Chief Todd Coring confirmed Sunday.
🚨#BREAKING: Nigel Edge Max has been arrested and charged with 3 counts of first degree murder and 5 counts of attempted first degree murder in Southport NC.
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) September 28, 2025
Nigel is a former marine Iraq veteran that suffered a traumatic brain injury and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. pic.twitter.com/P2RPvVHE1v
Horror in NC: Multiple Casualties Reported As Killer on Boat Opens Fire on a Waterfront Restaurant
Following the attack, authorities nabbed the shooter, who fired from a boat onto the waterfront restaurant, at a public boat ramp about 12 miles from the site. The shooting was anything but accidental, they reported:
Police believe the location was targeted and the shooting was “highly premeditated," Coring said at a Sept. 28 news conference. The suspect is believed to have acted alone. Coring also confirmed the suspect used an assault rifle. Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said officials executed a search warrant on the suspect’s boat and home and recovered firearms.
Coring said it is “still a very active investigation,” and he asked anyone who may have been at American Fish Saturday night or on Friday night to call the Southport police department.
The suspect, formerly known as Sean DeBevoise bedfore he changed his name in 2023, reportedly has a complicated and troubled past, and law enforcement sources indicated that he engaged with numerous Q-Anon conspiracy theories. He also once escorted former “American Idol” contestant Kelly Pickler to the CMT Music Awards, but later sued her, claiming she had tried to kill him by poisoning his drink.
Me and my date (Sgt Sean Debevoise).... #CMTawards pic.twitter.com/ckheQJwE
— kellie pickler (@kelliepickler) June 7, 2012
He also filed several other lawsuits accusing organizations of plotting to murder him, and he wrote a book called “Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation,” where he described his injuries and theorized that it constituted an additional plot to murder him.
Sean William DeBevoise is Nigel Edge - On his Facebook page: Published Author of Memoir “Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation” https://t.co/oNnSwOLElX pic.twitter.com/cHbYXpqwFl
— Ernie Vanderwalt (@ErnieVanderwalt) September 28, 2025
Edge suffered several severe injuries during his military service:
Edge previously went by the name Sean DeBevoise. He is a Marine veteran who was wounded in Iraq in 2006. While serving as a sniper, he was shot in the head and hip, ankle and shoulder, according to the Wilmington Star-News, a USA TODAY Network partner.
He came to Wilmington in 2007 to recuperate from injuries after a doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa told him he'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Now, he can walk without a cane or a walker, according to a 2017 Star-News article.
As of this writing, the death toll stands at three, with at least eight injured.
Sadly, the spate of mass shootings we’ve been seeing in this country continued Sunday morning, as at least 10 people were shot and two killed in a nightmarish shooting at an LDS church in Michigan.
UPDATES: Ten Shot, Two Killed in Michigan LDS Church Shooting and Fire; Additional Victims Expected
It’s a sad story all around. If and when his exact motivations are uncovered, RedState will bring you updates.
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