Man suspected in bank robbery, officer-involved shooting has decades-long ties to crime

The man accused of robbing a Zebulon bank and firing a gun at police in Rocky Mount has charges that date back multiple decades.

Rocky Mount police said Wednesday that Willie Edward McGee Jr. was released from the hospital and booked into Nash County. He's charged with two counts of attempted murder for the alleged shootout with Rocky Mount police last Friday. He is also federally charged for the alleged bank robbery.

He's being held on no bond. He's expected to appear in court on Jan. 15 at 9 a.m. 

"If what we allege is true, he threatened a bank teller in a place of commerce  ... and threatened violence that could have hurt the bank teller, anyone in that bank, anyone around. And we know that, allegedly, when he was arrested four hours later in Rocky Mount, he had two weapons," U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said. "One [was] an AR-style rifle that he shot at law enforcement officers with.

"So, this is a person who is willing to commit depraved acts of violence in society."

Those charges will be heard in the federal system. After examining McGee's record, WRAL Investigates found he has had many brushes with the law. Online court records show dozens of charges for McGee dating back more than 20 years. McGee, who lives in Rocky Mount, has offenses spanning from Duplin, Wake and Durham counties.

The charges include driving offenses like driving with a revoked license. There's also violent crime such as assault and battery.  

In what officers say is his latest crime spree, they accuse McGee of robbing a bank in Zebulon the day after Christmas. They said he took more than $3,000, then took off in a semi-truck.

That truck was later found in Rocky Mount, where the U.S. Attorney's Office said he shot at police. The responding officers shot back, injuring him. McGee is still in the hospital as of Monday morning.

A federal complaint showed a photo of the rifle and handgun that McGee possessed during the encounter.

We spoke with someone who saw the situation unfold.

"It's crazy, I wouldn't think to come up to this area anyway, because there are a lot of people, said a witness. "Anybody could've gotten hurt." 

In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called McGee's behavior "domestic terror."

McGee is federally charged with armed bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted, he'll face a minimum of 10 years in prison.

More local charges are pending once he's released from the hospital.