Mass shooting at Southport waterfront bar kills three
Three people were killed and at least eight others were injured when a shooter fired from a boat that stopped in front of the American Fish Company in Southport around 9:30 p.m. ET; the shooter fled toward Oak Island and the U.S. Coast Guard detained a person matching the suspect description at an Oak Island public boat ramp within about half an hour, who is now in Oak Island police custody and will be turned over to Southport Police. The attack has been discussed alongside a near‑concurrent Michigan church shooting in analyses highlighting veteran involvement in mass‑shooting plots — research cited by The Christian Science Monitor finds roughly 25% of U.S. plots from 1990–2022 were planned by veterans, and experts have raised concerns about veteran reintegration, mental health, and battlefield trauma.
🔍 Key Facts
- Three people were killed and at least eight were injured in a mass shooting at the American Fish Company, a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina.
- The shooter fired from a boat that stopped in front of the American Fish Company around 9:30 p.m. ET and then fled toward Oak Island.
- The U.S. Coast Guard located and detained a person matching the suspect description at an Oak Island public boat ramp within about half an hour; that person is in Oak Island police custody and will be turned over to Southport Police.
- Reporting places the Southport attack in a cross-incident analysis linking it to a near-concurrent Michigan church attack and to a broader pattern of veteran-involved mass-shooting plots.
- The Christian Science Monitor cites University of Maryland research finding roughly 25% of U.S. mass-shooting plots (1990–2022) were planned by veterans, providing statistical context.
- The Christian Science Monitor article includes expert commentary (Ret. Col. Carl Castro; Luke Baumgartner) about veteran reintegration, mental health, and battlefield trauma as factors in such attacks.
📍 Contextual Background
- The church attack was the second mass shooting in the United States in less than 24 hours; a separate Saturday-night attack in Southport, North Carolina involved a shooter firing from a boat into a crowd, killing three and wounding five.
- As of 2025-09-29 at least four people were killed and eight were wounded in the attack on the Grand Blanc Township church.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, described the incident as an act of targeted violence, and sent about 100 federal agents to Grand Blanc Township.
- Thomas Jacob Sanford deployed for one tour in Iraq in 2007–2008 with a combat logistics regiment.
- Law enforcement agencies respond to active shooter incidents and may engage and neutralize suspects at the scene.
📰 Sources (2)
- Places the Southport attack in a cross‑incident analysis linking it to a near‑concurrent Michigan church attack and to a broader pattern of veteran‑involved mass‑shooting plots.
- Cites University of Maryland research finding ~25% of U.S. mass‑shooting plots (1990–2022) were planned by veterans, adding statistical context.
- Includes expert quotes (Ret. Col. Carl Castro; Luke Baumgartner) about veteran reintegration, mental health, and battlefield trauma.
- Three people were killed and at least eight were injured in the shooting.
- The shooter fired from a boat that stopped in front of the American Fish Company around 9:30 p.m. ET and then fled toward Oak Island.
- The U.S. Coast Guard located and detained a person matching the suspect description at an Oak Island public boat ramp within about half an hour; that person is in Oak Island police custody and will be turned over to Southport Police.