2 Raleigh lawyers were shot outside the courthouse downtown. What we know so far
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- White is charged with attempted murder in shootings outside the courthouse.
- Fox Rothschild lawyers Mary K. Harris and Jeffrey Whitley were injured and hospitalized.
- White was expelled from a hearing where she sought Rolesville police body‑cam footage.
Before Gwendolyn E. White was asked to leave the old Wake County courthouse Friday morning for being “belligerent,” she spent the morning in a room with the two lawyers who later became her alleged victims.
White is now charged with attempted murder in the shootings of Mary K. Harris and Jeffrey Whitley, according to arrest warrants. Both work at Fox Rothschild, a national law firm with a Raleigh office.
The shots were so loud that people in Wake County courtrooms above told The News & Observer they heard the commotion and saw officers running out of the courthouse.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said Friday that both were injured and taken to the hospital. He didn’t now their conditions at the time of his news conference. Their conditions were not known Friday night.
Police have not provided a potential motive for the shooting.
But the town of Rolesville said Harris and Whitley were involved in a hearing on a case dating back to 2021 over police body camera footage. White has been seeking footage of an altercation between her neighbors, The N&O reported.
During the hearing, White became “belligerent,” police said, and left the courtroom to return to her car to retrieve a gun. The shooting took place outside the courthouse on Fayetteville Street in the center of downtown Raleigh.
Here is what we know so far about the victims.
Who are the lawyers shot in downtown Raleigh?
Harris graduated from North Carolina State university in 2019 and earned her law degree from Campbell University in 2022, according to her Fox Rothschild profile.
She was the managing editor of the Campbell Law Observer and has twice been selected as a “Rising Star” for Civil Litigation by North Carolina Super Lawyers. She also is an adviser for the N.C. State University chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta.
Whitley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and public administration from Florida State University in 2002 and gained his law degree from Duke University in 2013, according to his Fox Rothschild profile. He was a Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP associate before joining his current law firm.
He also has been named to “Super Lawyers Rising Stars” list for Civil Litigation: Defense and Business Litigation for several years.
Law firm expresses ‘deep sadness’
Todd A. Rodriguez, Fox Rothschild’s Firmwide Managing Partner, issued a statement Friday night, offering support to Harris, Whitley and the office’s staff. He said the firm’s leadership team traveled to Raleigh to better monitor the situation.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with our colleagues and their loved ones,” Rodriguez said in the statement. “We are doing everything possible to support them. We are grateful to the first responders and courthouse personnel who acted quickly to come to their aid.
“We cannot adequately express our deep sadness and concern. The safety and well-being of our people is our highest priority.”
The case that spurred the shooting
On Friday, White was urging a judge to compel the Rolesville Police Department to release body camera footage that officers recorded responding to a “verbal altercation” in 2021 between White and her neighbors.
She said police had not provided complete footage of the incident — which police say was deleted after 30 days — and filed a motion of contempt in her case, court records detail.
The town of Rolesville issued a statement following the shooting, confirming the town’s civil case was involved in Friday’s events.
“Fox Rothschild has represented the town of Rolesville for decades, and while they are not employees of the town, this incident is deeply disturbing,” according to the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.”
Court records indicate White has filed at least 15 lawsuits since 1997 against various entities, including hospitals, doctors’ offices and banks, The N&O reported.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 8:09 PM with the headline "2 Raleigh lawyers were shot outside the courthouse downtown. What we know so far."
