North Carolina shooting suspect Nigel Edge, former Marine and Purple Heart recipient, once sued ‘American Idol’ contestant Kellie Pickler, claiming poison attempt at 2012 CMT music awards

A mass shooting occurred on the night of September 27, 2025, at the American Fish Company, a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina. The suspect, identified as Nigel Edge, allegedly opened fire from a boat, resulting in three fatalities and five injuries. Edge, a former Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart, reportedly suffers from PTSD. The man arrested for allegedly shooting three people dead in a bizarre boat attack in North Carolina on Saturday night once sued singer Kellie Pickler, claiming she tried to poison him, more than a decade after he was her date to the 2012 CMT Music Awards.

Police described Saturday’s assault as both “highly premeditated” and “targeted,” though the exact motive has not yet been determined. Edge was arrested roughly 30 minutes later by the US Coast Guard as he attempted to dock and remove his boat at a public ramp on Oak Island. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, and is being held without bond at the Brunswick County Detention Center.

Who is Kellie Pickler

Kellie Pickler is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. She first gained fame as a contestant on “American Idol” Season 5 in 2006, finishing in sixth place. Pickler has released several successful albums, including hits like Red High Heels and Best Days of Your Life. She is also known for her appearances on TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and as a co-host on “Great American Country” programs.

Nigel Max Edge, 40, of Oak Island, legally changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023. Edge filed a lawsuit in February against Pickler, alleging that she tried to take his life by poisoning him the same night they attended the CMTs together in 2012.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, he even included a photo of the two at the event, though he incorrectly identified it as the CMA Awards rather than the CMT Music Awards. Edge claimed Pickler handed him a poisoned glass of Jim Beam, and that he only survived because he never drank it. He represented himself in the case, which legal experts have called baseless.

Several entertainment articles from 2012, however, told a different story that Pickler brought a wounded Marine, Sgt. Sean DeBevoise as her date to the CMT Awards that year. In another lawsuit filed the same year, Edge listed both names when accusing a North Carolina medical institution of trying to kill him as part of a separate alleged conspiracy.

Edge described severe injuries in his lawsuit from a 2006 attack in Iraq, saying he was nearly killed after being shot in the head. He claims the incident left him with lasting nerve damage and a skull that is now partially reconstructed with plastic.

Edge is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.