Two suspects sought in shooting at North Carolina courthouse; two victims are in serious condition
Corrected and updated: Police were searching for two suspects after shots were fired this morning outside the Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina, wounding two people.
The victims, Donte’a Evans and Lamar Ricks, are in serious but stable condition at a Greenville Hospital, the Rocky Mount Telegram reports. Evans was shot once in the hand and twice in the leg, a Nash General Hospital spokesperson told the newspaper. Ricks was shot in the left shoulder.
Police were searching the area with the help of dogs and a helicopter.
Police believe there are two suspects, but it’s unclear at this point “which one was the shooter or who shot,” Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said in an interview with reporters posted by WTVD. The victims are not saying whether they knew the suspects, Jenkins said. Police are investigating whether the victims were witnesses or involved in a case at the courthouse.
Jenkins said the victims were shot outside the courthouse. One victim ran inside and the other ran to the side of the building. Witnesses saw a white sedan leave the scene and it may have been used for escape, Jenkins said. Four or five shell casings were found at the scene, Jenkins said.
Witnesses told the Raleigh News & Observer that there was just one gunman, who appeared to be waiting for the victims to exit the courthouse. Witnesses were afraid of giving their names to the newspaper for fear of retribution.
Earlier reports said the shooters stood outside the courthouse and fired into the lobby where the metal detector is located. A woman near the scene during the shooting, Sara McMakin, said she heard five shots in all. “I ran,” McMakin told the Rocky Mount Telegram. “Everybody ran.”
The courthouse was placed on lockdown after the shooting and was closed for the day. Nearby schools and the county administration building were also placed on lockdown immediately after the shooting, and nearby roads were blocked.
Story corrected at 12:15 p.m. to report that shooting occurred at a courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina. Story last updated at 2:30 p.m.
