Six police officers in Vallejo, CA shot and killed 20-year-old rapper Willie Bo while he was sleeping in his car at a Taco Bell.
Police came to investigate Bo after an employee at Taco Bell called to report that a man was “slumped over” in his car, according to The Guardian. The car was running with the doors locked.
When police arrived, Bo was “unresponsive” and “had a gun on his lap.” The cops called for backup.
When Bo surprised them by actually moving, the officers freaked out.
Via The Guardian:
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…
Police further alleged that officers told him to “keep his hands visible” but that he “quickly moved his hands downward for the firearm”. Police said six officers all fired shots within roughly four seconds, but they did not disclose the number of bullets that struck McCoy. The officers continued shouting commands before removing him from the vehicle and “rendering medical assistance”. He died on the scene. Police have not yet confirmed his identity and said an autopsy was pending.
“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.”
Image: Ron Cogswell/Flickr