A 57-year-old Raleigh woman, Gwendolyn White, was arrested after police said she shot two attorneys outside the Wake County Courthouse shortly after a civil hearing on May 22. Police said White was belligerent in court, that she had an ongoing lawsuit against
The morning started with a civil case hearing at the Wake County Courthouse in downtown Raleigh. By the time the doors reopened to the street, two attorneys were lying shot outside the building.
Police say a 57-year-old Raleigh woman. Gwendolyn White. was taken into custody shortly after the shooting on May 22. following what her attorney described as a tense court moment inside the courthouse. Police Chief Rico Boyce told reporters that, during the hearing that morning, White became “belligerent,” and the session ended.
Boyce said White’s civil case hearing was part of an ongoing dispute tied to the town of Rolesville and its police department. Court records show White has an ongoing lawsuit against the town of Rolesville Police Department. The town was represented by attorneys Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, who were in court.
Shortly after a motion hearing for a new trial, White left the courthouse and returned to the building in her vehicle, Boyce said. He said she got out of the vehicle and allegedly shot Harris and Whitley outside the courthouse.
State bar records identify Harris and Whitley as attorneys at the Fox Rothschild law firm. Boyce said officers immediately took White into custody and that they found Harris and Whitley shot outside the courthouse. He said he did not have information on the status of their injuries. but that both were transported to a local hospital.
Court records show White faces two counts of attempted murder. She is held in Wake County Sheriff’s custody without bail.
The shooting shut down the court building and forced closures of several streets in downtown Raleigh. turning a courthouse day into a scene of emergency response and uncertainty. Police records also show White has a hearing for the criminal case scheduled for May 26. It is unclear whether there was a disposition in the civil hearing.
In the hours after the attack, neither the town of Rolesville, a suburb northeast of Raleigh, nor Fox Rothschild responded to requests for comment.
In a statement to local media, the town government said Fox Rothschild has long represented Rolesville and called the incident deeply disturbing.
A lawyer listed in White’s civil case did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What unfolded in downtown Raleigh connected directly to the day’s docket: White was in court as a party in an ongoing case, her dispute involved Rolesville’s police department, and the attorneys she allegedly shot were representing the town in that matter.
Raleigh courthouse shooting Gwendolyn White Rico Boyce Mary Harris Jeffrey Whitley Fox Rothschild Wake County Rolesville Police Department attempted murder Wake County Sheriff