A routine court hearing in North Carolina allegedly spiraled into a shocking burst of violence when a woman walked out of a courthouse, went to her car, retrieved a gun, and opened fire on two attorneys, police say.
Gwendolyn White, 57, was arrested Friday, May 22, and charged with attempted first-degree murder after the frightening incident outside the Wake County courthouse in Raleigh, according to arrest records viewed by PEOPLE.
Authorities say the two victims were attorneys representing the Rolesville Police Department in a civil case involving White. Local outlets WRAL, WTVD, and The News & Observer identified the lawyers as Mary Harris and Jeffery Whitley of the Fox Rothschild law firm.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce told WRAL that White had been inside the courtroom with the attorneys earlier that morning and allegedly “became belligerent in court.”
What happened next stunned officials.
According to Boyce, White left the courthouse, went to her vehicle, got a gun, and allegedly shot Harris and Whitley as they exited the building.
The Rolesville Police Department told WRAL that Harris was rushed into surgery, while Whitley was listed in stable condition.
White was taken into custody immediately after the shooting, according to WRAL and WTVD. She was also later taken to the hospital.
The courtroom dispute that allegedly sparked the violence dates back years.
White had filed a civil case against the Rolesville Police Department in 2022 after requesting body-camera footage from an incident at her home the year before, local outlets reported.
That 2021 incident reportedly began when Rolesville officers responded to a verbal altercation between White and two neighbors. Police determined that no crime had occurred, according to WTVD. The neighbors later sought a civil no-contact order.
White then requested body-camera video from the police response. After the request was delayed, she filed a motion of contempt against the department.
A judge dismissed the case in January, but White was back in court for a hearing on whether the matter should be reinstated, WTVD reported.
Instead, authorities say the hearing ended with two attorneys shot outside the courthouse.
The Raleigh Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.
Demonic