Six California police officers fire shots at rapper asleep in car, killing him

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian


Family of Willie McCoy allege racial profiling after Vallejo police fire ‘multiple rounds’ at man
Sam Levin in Oakland
@SamTLevin Email
Tue 12 Feb 2019 18.15 EST Last modified on Tue 12 Feb 2019 18.18 EST

California police officers fatally shot a 20-year-old rapper who was sleeping in his car outside a Taco Bell, authorities said.

Six Vallejo officers fired “multiple rounds” at the man, identified by family as Willie McCoy, police said. McCoy had a handgun on him when the officers fired out of “fear for their own safety” on Saturday night, according to the department. The family of McCoy, whose rapper name was Willie Bo, said Tuesday that police had racially profiled the young black man and that there was no justification for using deadly force against someone who was sleeping and not a threat.

“There was no attempt to try to work out a peaceful solution,” Marc McCoy, Willie’s older brother, told the Guardian. “The police’s job is to arrest people who are breaking the law – not take the law into your own hands. You’re not judge, jury and executioner … We’re never going to get over this.”

Police said officers were checking up on McCoy after a Taco Bell employee called 911 and said a man was “slumped over” behind the wheel of his car at the fast-food restaurant drive through on Saturday at around 10.30pm. McCoy was unresponsive and had a handgun on his lap, police said, adding that the doors were locked and the car was on. After they called for backup, McCoy “suddenly” moved, officials said in a statement.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/12/california-police-shooting-willie-mccoy

[RoadRunner]

1. Again?

WTF.

[Takket]

2. i wonder if there is video.............

[cstanleytech]

3. Surely there were other options like freaking backing off and taking cover as he woke up? Sure, if

started shooting the gun return fire but surely that would be a negligible risk if they would simply back off to the protection of their cars.

[forgotmylogin]

4. WHY IN THE HELL WOULD POLICE FIRE AT AN UNCONSCIOUS PERSON?

Oh, because he "suddenly moved"???? If your police personnel pull the trigger upon someone who merely flinches upon being awoken to discover they are surrounded in their car by strangers, they need to all be fired. Get some cops who aren't twitchy like that.

WHAT IF HE WAS DIABETIC OR HAVING A HEART ATTACK?

The gun they found in his lap could easily have been planted.

[iluvtennis]

7. Exactly. No reason to shoot this guy. Put a tear gas bomb in his car, taze him, but don't shoot.

[forgotmylogin]

15. Or maybe just knock on the window?

If they saw a weapon in his lap, no problem having the gun out, but down at your side. Knock and step back. It's going to take a sleeping person longer to wake up, aim and fire. Horrible poor judgment.

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. And the idiots wonder why there is a BLM movement.

[Progressive Jones]

6. Cowardice is why this young man was murdered by defective cops. nt

[Polybius]

8. Sleeping while black

[Cold War Spook]

9. Sleeping while Black,

walking while Black, eating while Black. Why don't we just change it to "He's Black of She's Black"? So if someone asks why he was shot, just answer "He's Black".

[bobGandolf]

10. It sounds like you stopped by to....

tell of a horrible tragedy. I just read the actual story and for the life of me, I have more questions now than before I read the article. 6 COPS, talking to a semicomatose driver, had to call for backup? Within 4 seconds of each other, they unloaded their guns at him. (will not know the number of bullets until after the autopsy. Unless some important facts are missing an investigation is needed.
THIS is another situation where body cameras would more than likely have prevented the shootings. At the least, the body cam would provide answers to what happened.

[pansypoo53219]

11. major issues in the police academy methinks. WTF is wrong w/ this chicken shit cops?

[courtjester]

12. Police training

This is exactly what cadets are taught in the academy. When you put on your uniform to start your shift everyone out here wants to kill you! So you have to kill them first if you want to live. Since 911 Americas' police academies are more like marine boot camp than law enforcement training. I guess this makes sense in that we must protect the Nazi right wing from the People of America.

[ansible]

13. Sigh, and yet they'll just paid suspension for a while until the story gets old and they'll be back

Oink oink

[KY_EnviroGuy]

14. News from near the scene.....

Six Vallejo officers shot man in Taco Bell drive-through
Officers' names have not been released
By Nate Gartrell | [e-mail] | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: February 12, 2019 at 1:18 pm

More here: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/02/12/six-vallejo-officers-shot-man-in-taco-bell-drive-thru/

(snip)

This marks the third time in recent years that several Vallejo officers have fired upon a suspect at once. In May 2017, four officers shot and wounded Kevin DeCarlo, of Vallejo, while serving an arrest warrant in unincorporated Martinez. He later filed a still-unresolved federal lawsuit against the police department.

Three months after DeCarlo was shot, five Vallejo officers shot and killed a Benicia man who led them on a chase into Richmond, striking him 41 times. McCoy’s killing is the eighth shooting involving Vallejo officers within three years, including four in 2017.

It is also the second time this month a Vallejo officer has been placed on administrative leave. A week ago, Vallejo Officer David McLaughlin was put on leave after a video surfaced of him pulling a gun on a man in Walnut Creek during an argument, days after another video was released showing him tackling a man who was filming McLaughlin from his porch.

Our police have been militarized......... ........

Thanks for the lead OP, Judi Lynn!.......

[ROB-ROX]

16. COPS WHO MURDER

The rules for them shooting at people will be the proof the cops are KILLERS. All these cops should be on in prison for murder since it was GANG related to kill a person murdered......The FBI needs to make sure JUSTICE IS SERVED.....

[LogicFirst]

17. Paramedics

If it appeared he was sick or perhaps had a heart attack, just call the paramedics. This was irresponsible.

[Flaleftist]

18. A person sleeping in his car suddenly moved after waking up? No shit.

[Nitram]

19. Makes me sick. Racism and abuse of authority is rampant on US police forces.

Trump put a stop to Obama's Justice Department initiative to educate, train, and change the toxic culture of police departments nationwide. This is a national crisis that needs to be addressed ASAP!

[LiberalLovinLug]

20. "Police are trained to shoot first and hurt you first," he said.

This seems to be the new training method. Even if they don't kill you, its the easiest, laziest, but brutal way to incapacitate you to make it easier to arrest you.