Bio

Ralph McLean was born in 1966 in the United States.

Murder Story

On April 26, 1995, John Novabilski, a corporal with the Prince George’s County Police Department, was working an off-duty security assignment at a liquor store in Maryland. He was in full uniform and seated inside a marked patrol vehicle, clearly identifiable as a police officer. During the assignment, an armed individual later identified as Ralph McLean approached the vehicle without warning and opened fire at close range using a MAC-11 semi-automatic pistol. Corporal Novabilski was struck multiple times and died at the scene. After the shooting, the assailant removed the officer’s service weapon and fled. Investigators classified the attack as deliberate and unprovoked, marking the beginning of a targeted case involving the killing of a law enforcement officer.

In the weeks that followed, a joint investigation involving local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was launched to identify and locate the suspect. Ralph McLean was eventually identified as the primary suspect. Authorities determined that he posed a continued threat, particularly to law enforcement personnel, and organized surveillance and coordinated efforts to apprehend him.

On May 29, 1995, law enforcement officers and federal agents set up an operation near Greenbelt Middle School in Maryland in an effort to locate McLean. During the early morning hours, McLean approached the area undetected by moving through nearby wooded terrain. Among the officers present was William Christian, a veteran FBI agent with approximately 20 years of service. Without warning, McLean targeted Agent Christian and fired multiple shots through the driver’s side window of the vehicle where the agent was positioned. The attack was sudden, and Agent Christian was fatally wounded before he could respond.

Immediately after the shooting, nearby officers engaged McLean, leading to a gunfight as they pursued and attempted to contain him. As law enforcement closed in and surrounded him, McLean turned the weapon on himself and died by suicide on May 29, 1995, ending the confrontation without an arrest or trial.

At the scene, investigators recovered the MAC-11 used in both shootings as well as the service weapon taken from Corporal Novabilski. Evidence confirmed McLean’s responsibility for both killings, concluding a case involving two targeted attacks against law enforcement within a period of just over one month.