On May 26, 1990, Robert Lewis McGhee, Jr., a 50-year-old white male, was shot and killed in the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi. McGhee, a U.S. Park Ranger, was a respected member of his community and a veteran of the Navy who had served as a law enforcement ranger since 1981. His death was the result of a tragic encounter with two escaped convicts from a Florida correctional facility.
The assailants were identified as Dempsey Alexander Bruner, 29, and John Fred Woolard,
27. The two had escaped from the Holmes Correctional Institution near Bonifay, Florida, after overpowering a guard and stealing his. 38 caliber revolver. Their escape set off a chain of events that would lead them to cross paths with Ranger McGhee. A female hostage they had taken managed to escape and alert the police to their whereabouts, causing the suspects to flee into the park where McGhee was on duty.
Ranger McGhee conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle driven by the escaped convicts after they ran a stop sign. Unaware that the men were wanted fugitives, McGhee approached the vehicle. Tragically, due to a prior acquaintance with the individuals from conservation programs, he did not immediately suspect them of any wrongdoing. As he asked for the driver's license, one of the convicts opened fire, shooting McGhee multiple times in the throat and chest. He did not have a chance to react and was left to die on the side of the road.
Following the fatal shooting, an extensive manhunt ensued for Bruner and Woolard. They were later apprehended in the nearby city of Ocean Springs after a shootout with another police officer, which resulted in one of the suspects being wounded. The two were found guilty of the murder of a federal police officer and both received sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bruner was also charged with capital murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault on a police officer, rape, and sexual battery. Woolard faced additional charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault on a police officer.
The case took another turn in 2000 when John Woolard managed to escape from Parchman Prison. His escape prompted another extensive manhunt, which concluded with his recapture in Lowell, Indiana, following a violent multi-state crime spree. Ranger McGhee was survived by his wife, Linda, and their two children.
