2 officers, woman shot outside courthouse in Wilson, North Carolina

A gunman opened fire on a woman outside a courthouse in Wilson, North Carolina and then exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, injuring a police officer and a sheriff’s deputy, according to local officials. The woman is in critical condition, while the suspect was shot and taken into custody.

The shooting happened at about 10:40 a.m. Monday outside the Wilson County Courthouse in Wilson, about 40 miles east of Raleigh.

Sheriff Calvin Woodard Jr. said surveillance footage showed a man dressed in black get up from a bench and walk toward a woman as she approached the courthouse. The man shot the woman several times and ran from the area.

Deputies and a police officer encountered him about three blocks away, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

A Wilson police officer and a Wilson County sheriff’s deputy were hit during the shootout. Both officers suffered minor injuries and are in stable condition.

The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery. Her name and age have not been publicly released.

Police arrested 21-year-old Abdul Karim Mustafa on a nearby street without further incident. He was treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound to his arm, released and taken to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office for processing.

Mustafa is charged with attempted first-degree murder, going armed to the terror of the public, discharging a firearm within city limits and three counts of damage to real property.

Investigators are looking into whether the attack was retaliation for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old several weeks ago. Woodard said Mustafa may have known the teenager, while the woman shot Monday is related to the person charged in the teenager’s killing.

Woodard described the shooting as an isolated incident and said there is no ongoing threat to the public. The Wilson Police Department is conducting a separate investigation into the exchange of gunfire involving officers.