911 calls reveal chaos after Wake County Courthouse shooting

Raleigh police have released the 911 calls from the Wake County Courthouse shooting that injured attorneys Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, and the audio captures the confusion that spread across the 300 block of Fayetteville Street after the gunfire. The calls add a new, immediate layer to a case that has unsettled people who work in and around downtown Raleigh’s justice center.

The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. on May 22, 2026, outside the old Wake County Courthouse. Harris and Whitley were representing the Rolesville Police Department in a long-running civil dispute tied to Gwendolyn White, a matter that had already played out in court over body-camera footage dating back to at least 2022. White was in the courtroom with the attorneys just hours before the attack, and during the hearing she shouted, “I’m going after you,” before leaving.

Investigators say White then walked to her car, retrieved a handgun and approached the two attorneys outside the courthouse before opening fire. Raleigh police said she was found armed with a handgun and taken into custody at the scene. White was later held without bond on attempted first-degree murder charges.

The 911 audio does not alter those core facts, but it shows how quickly courthouse business gave way to panic and a heavy emergency response. The calls reflect people trying to understand what had happened in one of downtown Raleigh’s busiest civic blocks while officers and medical crews rushed toward the courthouse steps. For a building meant to handle hearings, attorney meetings and daily public business, the sound of confusion outside its doors underscored how exposed that space became in a matter of moments.

The case has since widened beyond the criminal charges. A Wake County grand jury later indicted White on multiple felony counts related to the shooting, and defense attorneys have sought to move her to a mental-health facility. Search-warrant records also showed that White had previously been the subject of a police advisory tied to alleged threats against a medical facility and concerns about her mental health.

A month after the shooting, attorneys who regularly work at the courthouse said the violence still weighed heavily on them. The 911 calls now provide a grim record of how an argument that began in a courtroom spilled into the street and turned one of Wake County’s most visible public spaces into an active crime scene.