Wilbur Eugene Mcgee

Wilbur Eugene McGee
November 4, 1955
 

Officer Wilbur Eugene McGee joined the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on June 22, 1954. He began his career with the Police Department as an undercover investigator assigned to the downtown area.

During his short 17 month career as a police officer, he received several Departmental Commendations for arrests of wanted felons.

On November 4, 1955, a burglary was committed in the early morning hours. The victim of the burglary reported the theft of some $300 in coins, a pellet gun and a .22 caliber revolver.

Later that same day, the police were called to an old downtown hotel where a maid showed them a large amount of coins taken from a tenant's room. The coins and other evidence tied the tenant, a 25 year old convicted felon, to the burglary.

The suspect was not present and the officers left with instructions to the desk clerk that she call police if the suspect returned. At 1442 hours, the desk clerk called and reported that the suspect in the burglary had returned to his room. Two police units were assigned to the hotel.

Officer McGee arrived first and went into the hotel. Hearing the desk clerk talking to the suspect in a loud voice, Officer McGee ran to the room where he placed the suspect under arrest. The suspect surrendered a pellet gun to the officers and as Officer McGee started to handcuff the burglar, he pulled a second gun from his waistband and shot the officer four times.

As the officer fell to the floor mortally wounded, the suspect took the officer's police revolver and fled out the back door of the hotel. The back-up unit arrived only a couple of minutes after Officer McGee entered the hotel, but it was too late. Officer McGee , age 33, was dead.

When the suspect was captured a short time later, he was still carrying the slain officer's service revolver.

Officer McGee was survived by his wife.