Suspect in Zebulon bank robbery injured in confrontation with Rocky Mount police
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Officers engaged a truck possibly linked to a Zebulon bank robbery.
- Gunfire exchanged; suspect was struck and taken to hospital for treatment.
- State Bureau of Investigation launched independent probe of officer shooting.
A suspect in a Zebulon bank robbery was taken to a hospital after exchanging gunfire with officers in Rocky Mount on Friday.
At 4:15 p.m. Friday, officers responded to the 700 block of Sutters Creek Boulevard, Rocky Mount police said in a Friday statement. There, they spotted a truck in a parking lot that an initial investigation indicated could be connected to a bank robbery in Zebulon, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation said in a Friday news release.
Officers made contact, “gunfire was exchanged, and the suspect was struck,” the SBI said. On Saturday afternoon, Rocky Mount police identified the suspect as Willie McGee Jr., a 42-year-old Rocky Mount resident.
McGee will face one count of robbery, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm and one count of discharging a weapon to incite fear, Rocky Mount police said.
The SBI said it was on the scene investigating as of Friday. The SBI will conduct an independent investigation “consistent with standard protocol for officer-involved shootings,” Rocky Mount police said. The Zebulon Police Department said it was working jointly with Rocky Mount police regarding the incident.
Zebulon police said in a news release that someone robbed the First Citizens Bank at 101 Wakelon St. just before noon on Friday, then left in a semi-truck.
This story was originally published December 27, 2025 at 12:39 PM.
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