UPDATE | 2 shot at NC courthouse, gunman caught

NASHVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A gunman opened fire on two men in front of the courthouse in this small North Carolina town today, sending panicked lunchtime shoppers ducking into shops along the normally quiet main drag.

The suspect was caught by late afternoon after a manhunt that included dozens of armed officers canvassing the woods along a state highway with a police helicopter flying overhead. A second suspect was still on the loose. Authorities didn't offer a motive but believe the victims were targeted. Both were expected to survive.

The shooting shattered the calm of the sunny lunch hours along Nashville's main street, which is flanked by the courthouse on one side and one-story shops across the street. Witnesses on the strip that includes a flower shop, cafe and furniture store said violence is unusual in the town of about 5,500.

"We heard gunshots, like: Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!" said Judy Winstead, who works at a real estate office across from the court. "It was very loud, and when we came out we even smelled gunpowder."

Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said he believes the gunman targeted his two victims when he opened fire about 11:15 a.m. He said a suspect was taken into custody in the late afternoon but declined to release his name.

He says one victim ran inside the Nash County Courthouse and collapsed after being hit in the hand and leg. The other victim ran down the street and was found in a lot with a back wound.