Officials Identify 3 Victims Killed in North Carolina Waterfront Bar Shooting
SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA — Officials have released the names of the three people killed in a weekend mass shooting at a popular waterfront bar, as investigators continue to search for a motive behind the attack carried out from a boat.
Victims Identified
The victims were identified as Solomon Banjo, 36, of Charlottesville, Virginia; Joy Rogers, 64, of Southport, North Carolina; and Michael Durbin, 56, of Galena, Ohio, according to a statement from the city of Southport.
All three were patrons at the American Fish Company bar, where witnesses say panic erupted Saturday night after gunfire rang out across the water.
Details of the Attack
Authorities allege the shooter, identified as Nigel Max Edge, a 40-year-old former Marine, opened fire on the bar from a boat using a .300 Blackout Sig Sauer rifle equipped with an optic scope and suppressor.
Five others were injured in the shooting, which occurred near the point where the Intracoastal Waterway meets the Cape Fear River. Police described the assault as “highly premeditated.”
When arrested, Edge also carried a .380-caliber handgun in his waistband, prosecutors said.
Court Appearance and Background
Edge appeared in court on Monday but did not enter a plea. His public defender told the court that Edge intends to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Brunswick County District Attorney John David noted that Edge served as a Marine Corps scout sniper and sustained injuries in the line of duty, including a possible traumatic brain injury.
“There is nothing about his criminal background which suggests he could perpetrate such horrendous crimes,” David said, underscoring concerns over Edge’s mental health.
Ongoing Investigation
Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. Officials said the community remains shaken by the violence in the small coastal town, which typically draws both locals and tourists to its waterfront bars and restaurants.
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