HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Another young Black man has been shot dead by police. Aspiring rapper, 20-year-old Willie Bo was asleep in his car—allegedly with a handgun in his lap—when he was awakened by officers, who eventually opened fire. From Buzzfeed News: “Police were called to the fast-food restaurant in Vallejo around 10:30 p.m. Saturday after employees reported seeing a man ‘slumped over’ inside a silver Mercedes-Benz. When officers arrived, they found Willie James McCoy unresponsive in the driver’s seat with a handgun on his lap, police said. The car was locked and the transmission was shifted into the drive position, police said. ‘The two officers decided to hold their position and did not attempt to wake the driver,’ Vallejo police said in a statement. ‘Instead they decided to wait for additional officers to arrive on scene and ensure that people in the parking lot were safe and did not approach the vehicle.’ After additional officers arrived, police tried to open the driver’s side door, but were unsuccessful. Officers then positioned a patrol car in front of the Mercedes to prevent it from suddenly moving forward, and tried to move another patrol vehicle behind McCoy’s. It was at that time, police said, that the driver began to wake up and move.” According to the statement, which you can read in full here, “The driver began to suddenly move and looked at the uniformed patrol officers. Officers gave the driver several commands to put his hands up. The driver did not comply and instead moved his hands downward toward the firearm.” Six police officers opened fire on Willie Bo for approximately four seconds. The involved officers have reportedly been placed on administrate leave and the Solano County district attorney’s office is investigating the shooting. Willie Bo’s cousin David Harrsion took to Facebook to open up about his family’s horrific loss. “My little cousin was asleep in the car. They shot him 20 motherf*cking times in a motherfucking car—asleep,” he said. Watch Harrison speak on it here. Photo: Getty<doc-sep>The family of a young Bay Area rapper who was killed when police officers opened fire after he had fallen asleep in his car is demanding the release of police bodycam footage and questioning whether deadly force was justified. Police in Vallejo, California, said in a news release that the six officers shot "multiple rounds" at the driver — identified by his family as Willie McCoy, 20 — in the span of four seconds Saturday night in a Taco Bell parking lot. It's unclear how many bullets struck McCoy, but his family said they believe at least 20 may have hit his car based on the number of holes that witnesses counted at the scene. "It seems like an execution," David Harrison, McCoy's cousin and manager, said Wednesday. "It looks like my baby cousin was executed by a firing squad." Willie McCoy was fatally shot by Vallejo, California, police on Feb. 9, 2019. Courtesy of David Harrison The Vallejo Police Department said it is working with the Solano County District Attorney's Office to investigate the shooting — the latest in a department that in recent years has been criticized for excessive use of force and has been the subject of civil rights complaints. In a statement, Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou said a review of the shooting is in its early stages, although "any loss of life is a tragedy." The department did not identify McCoy in its statement. Officials also declined further comment about any plans to release video from the incident and questions regarding police protocol. The department's police union did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday. Harrison said he's not happy about a lack of information that has come out about his cousin's death and is awaiting the results of an autopsy and toxicology report. "It doesn't take six officers to pump bullets through a car that's not going anywhere," he said. Vallejo police said two patrol officers were first called to the Taco Bell after 10:30 p.m., when employees reported a driver slumped over in a car at the drive-thru. Upon arrival, the officers said, they noticed a handgun in the driver's lap and called for backup. "The two officers decided to hold their position and did not attempt to wake the driver," police said. The officers discussed trying to remove the gun from the driver, but found his door locked. They also noticed the car was actually in drive, so additional units helped to position a marked patrol car in front of McCoy's car "to prevent forward or erratic movement," police said. As a second car was being placed behind McCoy's car to prevent him from making sudden movements, he woke up. Willie McCoy, right, with his cousin, David Harrison. Courtesy of David Harrison Police said he was given "several commands" to put his hands up, but he did not comply and appeared to "quickly" move his hands down to the firearm. The officers began "fearing for their safety," and fired their weapons, police said. They continued to yell commands at the driver and then reached through a broken window to unlock his door and begin lifesaving efforts. McCoy was pronounced dead at the scene. Harrison said he has questions about where the officers were positioned when they shot his cousin and whether they saw him reach for a gun. A preliminary investigation found a fully loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, which had been reported stolen out of Oregon, authorities said. Harrison said the officers could have been more strategic and remained behind the car and used a loudspeaker if they feared for their lives since they didn't know how startled McCoy would become. "I don't think he even had time to react," Harrison added. "If you're just waking up from sleep, you don't know what you have around you and who's talking to you." Harrison said McCoy — known by his stage name Willie Bo — had been in the recording studio in recent days and was on tour with his group, FBG. He had also been splitting time between family in Vallejo and Oakland. On the night he was killed, Harrison added, McCoy may have gone to the Taco Bell for a bite to eat and was so exhausted that he fell asleep. He said he didn't know McCoy to own a firearm. Lawmakers in California have pursued legislation that would set rules for when police can use deadly force and instead seek nonlethal alternatives to deescalate a situation — coming after the high-profile shooting last year of Stephon Clark, a black Sacramento man who police later confirmed was unarmed. Law enforcement groups, however, argue that officers make split-second decisions in potentially deadly situations, and that lethal force may need to be an option. Police in Vallejo, a bedroom community north of San Francisco with a racially diverse population, have been under scrutiny in the past over officers' actions. Last August, the police department defended the use of force after video showed officers holding down a man and striking him outside of a restaurant. In January, a police officer was seen tackling and handcuffing a black Marine veteran in a video that went viral. That officer was placed on leave. The department has paid more per officer in civil rights cases than other local departments, the East Bay Express reported last year. Harrison said his family is pained thinking about McCoy's final moments and his likely bewilderment when police came upon him. McCoy, the second youngest of five siblings, lost his parents to cancer at a young age and was raised by his cousins and a sister. He used music as an outlet to rap about family ties and the inequities in life. "He was always talking about being able to escape in his music because a lot of experience living in the Bay Area is police brutality and racial profiling," Harrison said. "It's tragic that Willie didn't escape it himself."<doc-sep>A young rapper shot dead by police as he slept in his car was not threatening officers as they claimed, his family has insisted. Police have confirmed the identity of the young man they shot in the parking lot of a Taco Bell fast-food restaurant as 21-year-old Willie McCoy, who was known as Willie Bo, and performed with the group FBG. Officers in Vallejo, California, said they had gone there after restaurant staff called 911 to report seeing a person slumped over the seat of a silver Mercedes. In a statement, the Vallejo Police Department said as officers approached the vehicle, the “driver began to suddenly move and looked at the uniformed patrol officers”. “Officers gave the driver several commands to put his hands up. The driver did not comply and instead he quickly moved his hands downward for the firearm,” it said of Saturday’s incident. “Fearing for their safety, six officers fired their duty weapons at the driver.” World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. 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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire.<doc-sep>A California rapper who was shot and killed by police on Saturday was sleeping and not threatening officers with the handgun found on his lap prior to his death, his family said. Willie McCoy, a local rapper known as Willie Bo, was in a vehicle in a Taco Bell drive-thru in Vallejo when he was killed by police officers responding to the scene about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, KTVU reported. Police went to the location after fast food employees reported seeing a man slumped over in a Mercedes. CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN LION SHOT DEAD BY LANDOWNERS AFTER PREYING ON SHEEP SPARKS FIERY DEBATE As six cops approached the car, McCoy, who they described as “unresponsive,” suddenly began to move. The officers told the driver to keep his hands in a visible area, but McCoy reached for the handgun on his lap, prompting them to fire their weapons. "In fear for their own safety, the officers discharged their weapons at the driver," police said. McCoy died at the scene and officers recovered the loaded gun in the Mercedes. Police said Monday the gun McCoy had was reported stolen in Oregon, though it’s unclear how the rapper obtained it. McCoy’s cousin, David Harrison, told the Los Angeles Times that McCoy was an aspiring rapper and actor. He added McCoy stopped at the Taco Bell to get food following a long day that began at a recording studio. Harrison later posted a Facebook video saying his cousin was asleep in the car and slammed the police department for opening fire. “You can’t just keep killing us in the street like this,” Harrison said in the video, according to the Los Angeles Times. “My cousin was asleep in the car and they shot him … 20… times.” CALIFORNIA MAN ACCUSED OF STABBING PERSON AT MOTEL SEEN SMILING IN MUGSHOT Vallejo police did not immediately identify the officers involved in the deadly shooting or how many shots were fired. They said the incident is under investigation. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Taco Bell released a statement to KTVU saying they were “shocked and saddened” about the incident. “We are shocked and saddened to hear that this happened. The owner and operator of this location is working with the local authorities in their investigation and has offered counseling services to all team members present. Our thoughts are with the Vallejo community in this difficult time,” the fast food chain said.<doc-sep>
Six police officers opened fire on an aspiring rapper in Northern California on Saturday, killing the man after he was found asleep inside his car in a Taco Bell drive-thru, authorities said. Police were called to the fast-food restaurant in Vallejo around 10:30 p.m. Saturday after employees reported seeing a man "slumped over" inside a silver Mercedes-Benz. When officers arrived, they found Willie James McCoy unresponsive in the driver's seat with a handgun on his lap, police said. The car was locked and the transmission was shifted into the drive position, police said. "The two officers decided to hold their position and did not attempt to wake the driver," Vallejo police said in a statement. "Instead they decided to wait for additional officers to arrive on scene and ensure that people in the parking lot were safe and did not approach the vehicle." After additional officers arrived, police tried to open the driver's side door, but were unsuccessful. Officers then positioned a patrol car in front of the Mercedes to prevent it from suddenly moving forward, and tried to move another patrol vehicle behind McCoy's. It was at that time, police said, that the driver began to wake up and move. "The driver began to suddenly move and looked at the uniformed patrol officers," police said in a statement. "Officers gave the driver several commands to put his hands up. The driver did not comply and instead moved his hands downward toward the firearm." Six police officers opened fire at McCoy for about four seconds. After the shooting, one of the officers reached through the broken glass and grabbed the handgun. Police tried to perform CPR, but McCoy was declared dead at the scene. Vallejo police officials did not confirm the identity of the shooting victim, or how many times officers fired into the car, but David Harrison told the Los Angeles Times that McCoy, an aspiring rapper who went by the name Willie Bo, was his cousin. "You can't just keep killing us in the streets like this," Harrison said in a video posted on Facebook. "My little cousin was asleep in the car. They shot him 20 motherfucking times in a motherfucking car — asleep." Vallejo police said the firearm, which was recovered after the shooting, was a .40-caliber handgun that was loaded with an extended magazine. It had been reported stolen from Oregon. The Solano County district attorney's office is investigating the shooting, officials said.