A woman who spent years battling police in court is now accused of taking that fight to the streets, shooting two opposing attorneys just steps from a Raleigh courthouse.
Story Snapshot
- Raleigh woman Gwendolyn White, 57, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder after a downtown courthouse shooting.[1][2][6]
- Police say she left a hearing in her civil case against law enforcement, retrieved a handgun from her car, and opened fire on two attorneys representing the other side.[2][6]
- The victims, Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, are reported to be recovering; one has already undergone surgery and is in stable condition.[6]
- White’s long history of unsuccessful lawsuits and reported mental-health problems raises serious questions about how the system handled warning signs.[1][3][4][5][6]
What Police Say Happened Outside the Wake County Courthouse
Raleigh police say that on a Friday morning outside the old Wake County Courthouse, 57-year-old Gwendolyn White approached two attorneys in an alley and opened fire shortly after a civil court hearing.[2][6] Investigators report that she had just been in court with those same lawyers on the tenth floor in a long-running case involving police body camera footage.[6] Police say she left the courthouse, went to her car, retrieved a handgun, then returned and shot attorneys Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley.[2][6]
Officers and deputies already on scene quickly moved in and took White into custody, limiting further harm and preventing a broader attack.[2][6] Police say both attorneys were transported to the hospital; local reporting indicates Harris’ father later described her as stable after surgery and recovering, while Whitley is also expected to survive.[6] Authorities say White herself was taken to a hospital for reasons they have not yet explained, and she is now held without bail, facing attempted first-degree murder charges.[4][6]
A Long Trail of Lawsuits, Grievances, and Missed Red Flags
Local records show this confrontation did not come out of nowhere. Reporters found that White has spent decades in Wake County courts, filing at least fifteen unsuccessful lawsuits against individuals and institutions since the late 1990s.[1][6] The case that brought everyone to the courthouse that day involved her lawsuit against the Rolesville Police Department and town officials over officer body camera footage, a dispute that had dragged on for roughly four years by the time of the shooting.[3][6] Court officials had previously limited her filings because of the sheer volume of claims.[1][6]
Former legal counsel for White has come forward describing a long history of significant mental-health challenges that were plain to anyone working with her.[3][5] One former attorney told local media that White held fixed, irrational beliefs, such as insisting neighbors were poisoning her through her air-conditioning system, and said she struggled to accept legal outcomes that went against her.[3][4][5] Reporting also shows that a judge ordered her into mental-health treatment in a stalking case in 2023, yet she remained free to appear repeatedly in court and, according to police, to access a firearm.[1][3][4][5]
Security, Mental Health, and Accountability in a Time of Rising Tensions
This shooting points to a painful reality: the courthouse itself may have metal detectors and deputies at the doors, but the sidewalks, parking decks, and alleys where lawyers, jurors, and families exit are often unprotected. Officials say the shots were fired in an alley beside the courthouse as the attorneys walked out after the hearing, with investigators later marking multiple bullet impact points along the walkway.[2] That detail suggests more than a single panicked discharge and highlights how vulnerable people are once they step just beyond the security perimeter.[2]
🚨 BREAKING: 57-year-old Gwendolyn White charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder after allegedly shooting two attorneys outside the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh, NC.
White had just left a heated civil hearing where the victims — Mary Harris and Jeffrey… pic.twitter.com/K7QtPAoQ0D
— Real Crimes (@Real_Crimes) May 23, 2026
The pattern here will feel familiar to many readers. A person with a long-standing grievance against government, a record of fruitless litigation, and documented mental-health struggles repeatedly passes through the system without any lasting intervention that protects her or the public.[1][3][4][5][6] Only when the dispute allegedly turns to gunfire does the system clamp down with a no-bail order and serious charges. Conservatives watching this case will rightly ask why warning signs, court orders, and prior cases did not trigger firmer boundaries before two attorneys were left bleeding outside a courthouse.[1][3][4][5][6]
Sources:
[1] Web – Woman accused of shooting attorneys at Raleigh courthouse has …
[2] YouTube – Suspect in custody, 2 lawyers shot outside Raleigh courthouse
[3] YouTube – Fmr. attorney of courthouse shooting suspect said she …
[4] Web – Former attorney of Gwendolyn White speaks out, calls for … – WRAL
[5] Web – Fmr. attorney of courthouse shooting suspect said she had … – WRAL
[6] Web – Raleigh courthouse shooting suspect had long-running …