On Saturday evening, 20-year-old rapper Willie Bo (real name Willie McCoy) was shot and killed by police officers in the drive-thru of a Vallejo Taco Bell. Speaking with The Guardian on Wednesday, McCoy's accused police of racial profiling and acting as "judge, jury, and executioner" against a man who had been sleeping in his car.
Police claimed they were responding to a call placed by a Taco Bell employee on Saturday at around 10:30 p.m. The complaint claimed a customer was "slumped over" in the restaurant's drive-thru. Officers claimed that when they arrived, they noticed McCoy was "unresponsive" and claimed he had a handgun in his lap. Police say they attempted to open the door but it was locked, and positioned vehicles in front and behind McCoy's car as it was still in drive.
McCoy then "suddenly moved," police said, claiming he "looked at the officers" and "reached for his lap" after being told to "keep his hands visible." Six officers then fired their guns within the span of four seconds out of “fear for their own safety." McCoy died on the scene after he was reportedly given medical assistance.
Willie's brother Marc McCoy blasted the police's response. “There was no attempt to try to work out a peaceful solution,” he told the Guardian. “The police’s job is to arrest people who are breaking the law – not take the law into your own hands." He went on to speculate that police had startled Willie, and said police "should have ordered him out of the car with a bullhorn."
David Harrison, McCoy’s cousin, claimed Vallejo police are not "trusted" in the local community. "Police have a campaign of executing young black men who fit a certain profile," he said. "Willie dressed the part. He represents hip-hop music. They are profiled.” Harrison added that he hoped the responding officers would face prosecution. "This was senseless… shooting a man sleeping in his car. We want to make sure this never happens again to another person.”
The FADER has reached out to the Vallejo Police Department for additional comment.