Alleged North Carolina Mass Shooter Sued Kellie Pickler Earlier This Year For Trying To Poison Him While He Was Her Date To The CMT Awards

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What in the world…

A tragic scene unfolded last night in North Carolina when a lone gunman opened fire at a waterfront restaurant, killing three people and wounding eight others.

The shooting took place at American Fish Company in Southport, with the shooter escaping in a boat on the Intercoastal Waterway behind the bar. A short time later, the US Coast Guard detained the suspect, Nigel Max Edge, in the neighboring community of Oak Island, where police were reportedly “familiar” with the suspected gunman.

Southport Police Chief Todd Coring called the attack “highly premeditated.”

“He acted alone. This is highly premeditated, from what we’re seeing at this time, and we feel there are no other threats to our community.”

According to Coring, Edge is reportedly a “self-described” combat veteran who was injured in the line of duty, but as of right now his military record has not been verified.

The suspect also changed his name back in 2023, when he was previously known as Sean William Debevoise. And as it turns out, Debevoise has quite the colorful history.

As reported by TMZ, the veteran attended the CMT Awards in 2012 as the date of American Idol album Kellie Pickler, telling the media that he was “ecstatic” to escort the country singer:

“I am ecstatic about being here at the CMT Music Awards with Kellie, even more to consider her a friend. She is the most sincere person I know. She is an angel.”

At the time, it was reported that Pickler met Debevoise at a charity event in North Carolina, and that he had invited her to a military gala – but she had to decline, so invited him to be her date to the CMT Awards instead.

But things took a bizarre turn earlier this year, when the man now known as Nigel Edge filed a lawsuit against Pickler, claiming that she attempted to kill him during the awards ceremony.

In the complaint, filed in federal court in North Carolina and reviewed by Whiskey Riff, Edge claimed that Pickler handed him a poisoned glass of Jim Beam during the awards ceremony, and that he survived because he didn’t drink it. (The picture that he included in the lawsuit shows a bottle of Jack Daniels). Edge claims that the attempted murder was a hate crime because he’s a straight man.

The lawsuit also includes another photo of Edge with Pickler, along with another man who he says is his ex-wife’s father. Edge claims that the man secretly recorded himself and his ex-wife for the “Epstein ring” from a hidden location using a trap door, and that he’s still putting the pieces together.

Edge filed yet another document claiming that the names of both Pickler and her late husband, Kyle Jacobs, contained LGBT code, and that Pickler poisoned his service dog at the event.

Yeah, there’s a lot to unpack here.

In addition to the lawsuit against Pickler, Edge also accused the Brunswick Medical Center in North Carolina of attempting to kill him.

Edge is due in court on Monday related to the weekend shooting, but in the meantime his ex-wife Rachel Crowl, who says she hasn’t spoke to Edge since 2009, says that her ex-husband had been crying out for help:

“I’m sad for these families, I’m sad nobody helped him and this could have maybe been prevented.”

Just a terrible situation from somebody who was clearly mentally ill and dangerous.