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A man who had apparently fallen asleep in his car at a Taco Bell drive-through was killed in a barrage of gunfire by six police officers earlier this month in Vallejo, Calif. They said he had a gun in his lap and that he appeared to reach for it, but his friends and relatives are calling for the officers’ body camera footage to be released.
The man, identified as Willie McCoy, 20, had injuries so severe that it was hard to tell how many times he had been shot, said Melissa C. Nold, a lawyer for his family. She saw his body in person last week and estimated that there were about 25 gunshot wounds.
“It was just very, very disturbing,” she said. “He was just riddled with bullets. It was really a shock how many times he was actually struck.”
While the body camera footage has not been made public, a bystander filmed the encounter and posted a video to social media. It appeared to show Mr. McCoy’s car, at some distance and out of focus. A sudden burst of gunfire could be heard, lasting for about four seconds.
David Harrison, a cousin of Mr. McCoy’s who saw his body after the shooting, said he did not trust the police department’s version of events. “Willie was shot a whole lot of times,” he said. “Our belief is that Willie was executed, like a firing squad.”
In a statement last week, Peter Bibring, the director of police practices for the American Civil Liberties Union of California, said that California’s laws governing the use of deadly force are too permissive. “Police officers must use deadly force judiciously, with respect for human rights, with a belief in the sanctity of all human life and only when absolutely necessary,” he said. “While this seems like a common-sense standard, it isn’t the current practice in California.”
On Wednesday, the Vallejo Police Department released the names of the six officers involved in response to a public records request from The Mercury News, a newspaper based in San Jose. The paper reported that one of those officers had shot and killed another man during a physical confrontation last year.
Those officers have been placed on administrative leave, and the police department is working with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office to conduct an investigation, including a review of the officers’ body camera footage. It is unclear when, or whether, that footage will be released publicly.
From Willie McCoy Was ‘Riddled With Bullets’ After Police Shot Him at Taco Bell, Lawyer Says
The man, identified as Willie McCoy, 20, had injuries so severe that it was hard to tell how many times he had been shot, said Melissa C. Nold, a lawyer for his family. She saw his body in person last week and estimated that there were about 25 gunshot wounds.
“It was just very, very disturbing,” she said. “He was just riddled with bullets. It was really a shock how many times he was actually struck.”
While the body camera footage has not been made public, a bystander filmed the encounter and posted a video to social media. It appeared to show Mr. McCoy’s car, at some distance and out of focus. A sudden burst of gunfire could be heard, lasting for about four seconds.
David Harrison, a cousin of Mr. McCoy’s who saw his body after the shooting, said he did not trust the police department’s version of events. “Willie was shot a whole lot of times,” he said. “Our belief is that Willie was executed, like a firing squad.”
In a statement last week, Peter Bibring, the director of police practices for the American Civil Liberties Union of California, said that California’s laws governing the use of deadly force are too permissive. “Police officers must use deadly force judiciously, with respect for human rights, with a belief in the sanctity of all human life and only when absolutely necessary,” he said. “While this seems like a common-sense standard, it isn’t the current practice in California.”
On Wednesday, the Vallejo Police Department released the names of the six officers involved in response to a public records request from The Mercury News, a newspaper based in San Jose. The paper reported that one of those officers had shot and killed another man during a physical confrontation last year.
Those officers have been placed on administrative leave, and the police department is working with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office to conduct an investigation, including a review of the officers’ body camera footage. It is unclear when, or whether, that footage will be released publicly.
From Willie McCoy Was ‘Riddled With Bullets’ After Police Shot Him at Taco Bell, Lawyer Says
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