A legal battle over police body-camera footage turned violent outside a North Carolina courthouse Friday morning when a woman allegedly ambushed two attorneys, shooting them on the street right after a hearing.
Gwendolyn White, 57, was taken into custody immediately after the incident and has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, according to Wake County arrest records.
The victims, identified as Mary Harris and Jeffery Whitley, are attorneys with the Fox Rothschild law firm. They were representing the Rolesville Police Department in a civil lawsuit brought by White. Following the shooting, Harris was rushed into surgery, while Whitley was listed in stable condition, according to statement from Rolesville police.
The confrontation began earlier that morning inside the Wake County courthouse in Raleigh. Raleigh Chief of Police Rico Boyce stated that White had been inside a courtroom with the two attorneys for a hearing regarding her case. During the proceedings, White “became belligerent in court,” Boyce said.
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According to police, White left the building ahead of the legal team, walked to her vehicle to retrieve a firearm, and waited. As Harris and Whitley exited the courthouse, White allegedly opened fire. White was also transported to a local hospital following her arrest, though authorities have not detailed the reason for her medical transport.
The roots of the shooting date back to a March 2021 neighborhood dispute. Rolesville police officers had responded to a verbal argument between White and two of her neighbors. While officers determined no crime had been committed at the time, the neighbors later sought a civil no-contact order against White.
White subsequently requested the police body-camera footage from that day. In 2022, she filed a civil lawsuit against the Rolesville Police Department, later adding a motion of contempt because she claimed the department was delaying the release of the video.
A judge dismissed White’s lawsuit in January. Friday’s scheduled hearing was meant to determine whether that dismissed case would be reinstated.
The Rolesville Police Department and local authorities confirmed that the investigation into the shooting remains active and ongoing.
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