The three patrons fatally shot at a North Carolina waterfront bar over the weekend were identified Wednesday as people between 36 and 56 years old.
Killed in Saturday’s attack were Solomon Banjo, 36, of Charlottesville, Virginia; Joy Rogers, 64, of Southport, North Carolina; and Michael Durbin, 56, of Galena, Ohio, the city of Southport said in a statement.
They were shot when Nigel Max Edge, a former Marine, allegedly opened fire on the American Fish Company bar from a boat, according to authorities.
Five others were injured in the shooting, which happened in an area where the Intracoastal Waterway and Cape Fear River converge near the Atlantic Ocean, police have said.
A motive has not been disclosed, and the shooting remains under investigation, the city of Southport said.
Police have described the attack as “highly premeditated.”
During the first court appearance for Edge, prosecutors said the weapon used was a .300 Blackout Sig Sauer rifle with an optic scope and suppressor.
Edge had a .380-caliber handgun in his waistband when he was arrested, according to prosecutors.
Edge did not enter a plea at Monday’s court appearance, and a judge ordered him held without bail. His public defender said at the court appearance that Edge intends to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Brunswick County District Attorney John David said Monday that Edge is a former Marine Corps scout sniper who was injured in the line of duty and has significant mental health issues, including a possible traumatic brain injury.
There is “nothing about his criminal background which suggests he could perpetrate such horrendous crimes,” David said.