Gunfire Erupts at Courthouse: Lawyers Targeted

A shootout on the courthouse steps in Raleigh is raising hard questions about courthouse security, police accountability, and how quickly institutions close ranks when their own are targeted.

Story Snapshot

Two attorneys representing a North Carolina police department were shot outside a Wake County courthouse; a female suspect is charged with attempted first-degree murder.
Police say the suspect had just been in a heated civil hearing over access to Rolesville police body-camera footage tied to a years-old dispute.
Authorities describe the suspect as “belligerent” in court, but so far that is based only on police accounts, not public courtroom records.
The attack highlights ongoing failures in courthouse security and the tension between transparency on police conduct and trust in the justice system.

Attorneys Targeted After Civil Hearing Over Police Body-Camera Video

Raleigh police say fifty-seven-year-old Gwendolyn White is in custody after two attorneys were shot outside the old Wake County Courthouse in downtown Raleigh on Friday morning, and she now faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder.^[1]^[2] The victims, identified as Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, are lawyers with the national firm Fox Rothschild and were representing the Town of Rolesville and its police department in a long-running civil dispute over officer body-camera footage.^[2]^[5] Both attorneys were transported to a hospital; officials have not publicly detailed their conditions.^[1]^[5]

Reports from multiple outlets say all three were in the same tenth-floor Wake County courtroom earlier that morning for a hearing in the civil case, which stems from a 2021 Rolesville incident and a lawsuit White filed in 2022 seeking police video from inside her home.^[2]^[5]^[6] Raleigh Chief of Police Rico Boyce stated that the hearing became tense and that the suspect’s conduct in court was inappropriate before the shooting occurred later outside.^[2] Wake County court records for the underlying civil case have not yet been made public in detail.

Police Narrative: “Belligerent” Suspect Leaves Court, Retrieves Gun, Ambushes Lawyers

According to Chief Boyce’s account, the suspect “became belligerent in court,” left the courthouse after the civil proceeding, went to her vehicle, retrieved a handgun, then returned and approached the attorneys as they exited the building.^[1]^[2]^[4] Police say she opened fire in an alley near the courthouse entrance, striking both lawyers before officers and deputies in the area quickly moved in and took her into custody at the scene.^[2]^[5] Officers also transported White to a hospital; authorities have not explained the nature of her injuries.^[5]^[6]

So far, this detailed sequence—leaving the courtroom, accessing a weapon in a vehicle, returning, and then shooting—comes entirely from law-enforcement descriptions to the media.^[1]^[2] Neither a probable-cause affidavit nor courthouse security footage has been released to the public to independently verify the timing or specific movements involved.^[1]^[2]^[5] Officials have also not publicly discussed how White was able to reach a firearm, what security screening processes she previously passed, or whether any security staffing decisions contributed to the vulnerability outside the building.

Courthouse Security, Police Transparency, and a System Under Strain

This shooting sits at the crossroads of two issues conservatives have watched for years: vulnerable “soft target” courthouses and contentious fights over access to police records. Court-security experts and judicial reports have long warned that open courthouses, often in older buildings, remain exposed despite growing threats.^[5] When a litigant with a grievance can walk out, retrieve a gun, and allegedly ambush lawyers tied to a police department, it underscores how government has struggled to harden these critical institutions without turning them into armed fortresses or trampling public access.

Woman accused of shooting attorneys at Raleigh courthouse has history of lawsuits. She’s filed at least 15 unsuccessful Wake County suits since 1997. She was ordered to undergo mental health treatment in a stalking case in 2023. (Via @SolomonLexiB)https://t.co/uzIBltVzF5

— Keung Hui (@nckhui) May 23, 2026

The underlying civil dispute also reflects ongoing battles over body-camera transparency, especially in cases where citizens challenge police conduct inside their own homes.^[2]^[5] Media summaries tie White’s lawsuit to a 2021 Rolesville matter and her effort to obtain officer-worn camera video, but the precise legal claims remain murky because the full complaint, motions, and court orders are not in the public record here.^[5] That lack of transparency fuels distrust in different directions—toward both law enforcement and the courts—even as the Trump administration pushes for stronger law-and-order policies.

Balancing Support for Law Enforcement With Demand for Accountability

For many conservatives, the instinct is to back the blue and pray for the wounded attorneys and their families, while also insisting that facts, not spin, guide the response. Here, the victims were representing a local police department, and the narrative reaching the public comes primarily from that same law-enforcement apparatus.^[1]^[2] So far, authorities have not released courtroom transcripts, security video, or a detailed probable-cause filing that would allow independent scrutiny of descriptions like “belligerent” or fully confirm the alleged ambush sequence.^[1]^[2]^[5]

That does not excuse violence, which must be prosecuted aggressively. But a justice system worthy of public trust cannot rely on one-sided leaks when the state’s own institutions are involved. Conservatives who value constitutional protections, due process, and limited government should insist on a thorough, transparent investigation: release of court records where possible, disclosure of relevant security footage, and a clear explanation of any security failures. Supporting law enforcement and demanding accountability from government are not opposites; they are both essential to restoring order, protecting innocent people, and keeping faith with the rule of law.