Woman shoots two attorneys outside Wake County Courthouse, police say
Gwendolyn White was accused of shooting two Fox Rothschild attorneys after a hearing at the old Wake County courthouse, leaving Mary Harris hospitalized and police searching for answers.
Gwendolyn White, 57, of Raleigh, was arrested after police said she shot two attorneys outside the old Wake County courthouse in downtown Raleigh moments after a hearing tied to her long-running civil case against the Rolesville Police Department. White was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Police said the attack happened Friday morning, May 22, 2026, shortly after a court proceeding. Investigators said White and the two attorneys were in the same courtroom before the shooting. Raleigh police chief Rico Boyce said White became “belligerent” in court.
The victims were identified as Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, both with Fox Rothschild. At least one report said Harris was in stable condition and recovering after surgery later that day. The Town of Rolesville said Fox Rothschild had represented the town for decades and described the shooting as deeply disturbing. The firm said it was supporting its colleagues.
Court records show Harris and Whitley were representing the Town of Rolesville Police Department in a civil dispute that began with a 2021 police response involving White and a request for body-worn camera footage. White filed the case in 2022. It was dismissed in January 2026, and Friday’s hearing was reportedly set to determine whether the case could be reinstated.
Police said White left the courthouse, went to her vehicle, retrieved a handgun and then approached the attorneys in an alley outside the building. The sequence turned a routine court appearance into a violent ambush just steps from one of Wake County’s busiest public buildings, where lawyers, litigants and courthouse staff move in and out throughout the day.
The shooting now shifts attention to how safely emotionally charged disputes end at the courthouse door, especially when a litigant has been in the same room as the attorneys on the other side of the case. For Rolesville, Fox Rothschild and Wake County, the case has become more than a civil filing: it is now a test of whether the people who work inside the court system are protected once a hearing is over.
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