Marine Veteran Awarded Purple Heart Faces Death Penalty in Mass Shooting Case

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a Marine veteran who is charged with killing three people at a North Carolina bar last year.

Nigel Max Edge, who fought in the Iraq War and sustained brain injuries during the conflict, allegedly fired a short-barreled, suppressed AR-style rifle at customers at the waterfront American Fish Company bar in Southport, N.C.

The September 2025 attack left three dead and eight injured. Edge fled by boat but was caught at a ramp with help from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Authorities charged Edge last year with three counts of first-degree murder, in addition to multiple attempted murder and weapons charges.

Edge served almost six years in the Marine Corps and was awarded a Purple Heart for his service.

Edge’s Military History ‘Must Be Balanced’ in Criminal Proceedings

On Wednesday, Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David said he will seek the death penalty for Edge because of these charges.

“We are not blind to who this defendant is,” David said about his pursuit of the death penalty, in comments reported by the Washington Examiner. “He served this country in Iraq as a Marine, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and has struggled with serious mental illness.

“Those facts are important, and they were weighed, but must be balanced against the circumstances of the crime.”

Edge’s next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7, according to the Associated Press.

Edge’s Sanity Plays Legal Role

Edge was an elite sniper in Iraq and was shot four times during his service.

His family has said he has post-traumatic stress disorder and still has a bullet lodged in his brain from one of the shootings he survived.

In April, Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered Edge to undergo psychiatric treatment because it was established he was unable to understand his legal proceedings to a sufficient degree to assist his lawyers.

Davis added that the death penalty decision was not final.

“If evidence emerges bearing on Mr. Edge’s sanity at the time of the offense, we will reassess,” he said, according to the New York Post. “If he is never restored to capacity, the death penalty would not be a lawful sentence and would be removed from consideration.”

Federal and local agencies do not track annual murder charges for U.S. Marines or veterans more broadly. Department of Defense figures show that active-duty homicides across all branches are rare, historically averaging roughly 20 to 30 incidents a year.

For veterans, data remains scarce. A New York Times investigation previously tracked roughly 20 veteran-related homicides per year over a six-year window, though overall criminological data indicates veterans do not commit violent crimes at higher rates than the civilian population.