A man and woman, both attorneys, were shot in downtown Raleigh Friday morning near the old Wake County Courthouse, police said.
Raleigh Chief of Police Rico Boyce said the attorneys were exiting the courthouse when a woman with a handgun approached them and fired shots.
That woman had been the suspect in a case that played out inside the old courthouse, she left the building, went to her car and returned with the gun, Boyce said.
On Broadcastify radio traffic, first responders could be heard describing the pair of victims with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police said the female victim was taken into surgery and the male victim was in stable condition.
Raleigh Chief of Police Rico Boyce said his officers would work with the families of victims to get them all the information they needed about what happened.
The Raleigh Police Department was posting updates to social media. They said that there was not an on-going threat to the public, and that a female suspect was in custody.
A witness told WRAL News that he saw the shooting take place in an alley between the Wake County Courthouse and the federal building.
A man who had been inside the courthouse said he heard the gunshots.
The witness told WRAL News that people inside the courthouse were startled and starting looking out the windows when the shots rang out.
“We were sitting in court and then all you hear is a bunch of sirens and ambulances and a bunch of ruckus going around through the courtroom. It was wild,” he said.
That man said he saw a woman lying on the ground when he got outside.
“It happened in the alley,” he said. “Then police came, the ambulance came.”
Another person told WRAL they were exercising at a gym nearby when shots rang out.
“It’s a crazy world, you have to be aware of your surroundings,” that person said. “I’m hoping those who got shot survived. God bless them.”
Other buildings in the area tightened security after the shooting, allowing only those with identification inside.
People in downtown Raleigh were trapped because the police investigation blocked their access to their cars.
Martin Street, between Fayetteville and Salisbury streets, was blocked to traffic as police investigated.
The courthouse was briefly locked down but had re-opened for business by noon.