A gunman opened fire on a crowded riverside bar in North Carolina on Saturday night after pulling up to its dock on a boat, killing three people and wounding at least five others, one critically, before speeding away on the water, the authorities said.
The shooting, which law enforcement officials described as a “targeted” and “highly premeditated attack,” occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the American Fish Company bar in Southport, N.C. ChyAnn Ketchum, a spokeswoman for the city, said the gunman fired on a crowd after pulling up to the dock, then escaped on the boat.
Just after 10 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard detained someone matching a description of the gunman who was bringing a boat out of the water to secure it to a trailer at a public ramp in Oak Island, N.C., about 12 miles west of where the shooting occurred, city officials said in a statement early Sunday.
On Sunday, city officials identified that person as Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island, N.C. He was being held without bond at the Brunswick County Detention Center in Bolivia, N.C.
“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran,” Todd Coring, the Southport police chief, said at a news conference on Sunday morning.
“Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying. He suffers from PTSD,” Chief Coring added, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. “We want to point those facts out.”
The authorities called it a “lone-wolf” attack,” but they did not provide a possible motive for the shooting. Chief Coring said that the dockside bar was a “targeted location” and that the attack was “highly premeditated,” without giving details.
Mr. Edge faces three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He may face additional charges, according to Jon David, the district attorney for Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus Counties in North Carolina.
The authorities said that the victims of the attack were tourists and that their names would likely be made public on Monday.
The American Fish Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A message on its website said that it would be closed until further notice.
Southport is a city of about 4,100 people in southeastern North Carolina that sits about 60 miles by road east of Myrtle Beach, S.C. It served as the backdrop to the 2013 film “Save Haven.” In a New York Times review, the critic Stephen Holden called it a “picture-perfect town.” The city’s waterfront is near the southern tip of an estuary that opens onto the Atlantic Ocean.
American Fish Company, a former fish shack and refueling stop for boats, is a bar built on an open-air riverfront deck. Its website advertises live music, waterfront sunsets and craft cocktails.
Mr. David, the district attorney, said that he arrived at the scene by 11 p.m. on Saturday.
“The thread that connects everyone who’s a victim in this case, to this point, just appears to be a love of having a good time and enjoying all that Southport has to offer,” he said at the news conference. “Sadly, a lot of the victims in this case appear to be not members of our community, but people who are here on vacation.”
Adeel Hassan, a New York-based reporter for The Times, covers breaking news and other topics.
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter for The Times focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
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