3 killed and several injured in North Carolina waterfront bar shooting

SOUTHPORT, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at a waterfront bar in a coastal town in North Carolina, killing three and injuring several others, authorities said Sunday.

The shooting erupted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday near a popular stretch of bars and restaurants on Southport’s waterfront, a historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington. Investigators said the alleged assailant, identified by Southport city officials as Nigel Edge of nearby Oak Island, piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly and fired into the crowd before speeding away.

Edge was arrested on three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon, according to city spokeswoman ChyAnn Ketchum.

It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.

Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

Authorities have not said what might have led to the attack at American Fish Company. Police scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Sunday.

Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.