NEED TO KNOW
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At least three people have died following a mass shooting in Southport, N.C., on Saturday, Sept. 27
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According to police, the shooter was on a boat and fled the scene after opening fire at the American Fish Company bar
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A suspect matching the shooter’s description was later spotted loading their boat at a public boat ramp and is now being held by the Oak Island Police Department
At least three people are dead and eight others are injured after a gunman on a boat opened fire at a waterfront bar in North Carolina.
At around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 27, police responded to calls of “shots fired with multiple injuries” at the American Fish Company in Southport, the Southport Police Department said in a news release.
“Just prior, a boat with a single occupant traveling on the Cape Fear River, paused briefly at the American Fish Company and opened fire, fatally wounding three patrons, and injuring at least eight others,” police stated. “The boat then fled the area, towards the Intracoastal Waterway in the direction of Oak Island.”
Police announced on Facebook that there was an “active shooter” in the Southport Yacht Basin and urged people in the area to “remain in your homes.”
Around 30 minutes after the shooting, the U.S. Coast Guard identified a single suspect who was “loading their boat at the public boat ramp at NE 55th Street in Oak Island,” per the police news release. The suspect was detained for questioning by the Oak Island Police Department.
American Fish Company/Facebook
The American Fish Company
No other suspects are believed to be involved in the shooting, according to police.
“There is currently no known further credible threat to the public,” authorities stated.
Photos from the scene show several police cars and fire trucks outside the American Fish Company as first responders aided the injured.
The waterfront bar is one of several restaurants located at Southport Yacht Basin, “where the Intracoastal Waterway, Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean converge,” per Visit North Carolina.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is assisting the City of Southport Police Department, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, in investigating the shooting.
Southport Police department NC/Facebook
Southport Police car
Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said in a press conference that six people were being treated for their injuries in the hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this time, WECT reported.
The victims’ identities have also not been made public.
“Please keep all those affected, as well as our first responders, in your thoughts and prayers,” the BCSO said in a statement on Facebook.
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A motive for the shooting has not been revealed. Charges have also not been made available yet by the City of Southport.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Southport Police Department, BCSO and the American Fish Company for comment.
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