SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — Nearly two months after a mass shooting at American Fish Company shook the Southport waterfront, Police Chief Todd Coring delivered a detailed briefing to the Southport Board of Aldermen, outlining the minute-by-minute response and the department’s work to restore public confidence.
Coring addressed the board Thursday night, joined by fire chiefs Charles Drew and Ralph Treadway and multiple officers who responded to the Sept. 27 shooting. Coring said he felt it was important to publicly walk through what he called an unprecedented incident for the city and to recognize the responders whose immediate actions prevented further loss of life.
Coring recounted the initial eight minutes in precise detail:
- Minute 1: Dispatch received the first call from an American Fish Company employee reporting shots fired. Additional calls followed immediately
- Minute 2: Information from multiple callers confirmed the situation was an active shooter firing from a boat into American Fish Company. Dispatch upgraded the call, confirmed multiple victims and treated it as a mass-casualty incident. Ten calls came in during that minute alone, overwhelming the 911 system.
- Minute 3: Callers reported more victims and additional injuries. Southport Fire and EMS began response and standby protocols until the scene could be deemed safe by law enforcement.
- Minute 4: A Southport officer arrived as new information came in describing the suspect’s boat and direction of travel.
- Minute 5: Southport and Boiling Spring Lakes officers reached the scene together, updating dispatch on victim counts and conditions. Fire and EMS remained staged.
- Minute 7: EMS and fire units were cleared to proceed into the scene.
- Minute 8: The Coast Guard and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office marine units were notified, and helicopters were placed on standby as officers began treating victims and securing the waterfront.
The crime scene remained active until 8:30 a.m. the following Sunday…