Three people are dead and at least eight others are wounded after a person opened fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at a waterfront bar in a coastal town in North Carolina.

The shooting erupted late Saturday local time (Sunday AEST) near a popular stretch of bars and restaurants on Southport’s waterfront, a historic port town about 48km south of Wilmington.

Investigators said the assailant piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly and fired into the crowd before speeding away.

Roughly half an hour later, a US Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on nearby Oak Island.

The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

Authorities have not identified

See Full Page