Police fired 55 shots in 3.5 seconds, acted 'reasonable,' report says

An independent investigator hired by the city of Vallejo, CA, to review the fatal Feb. 9 police shooting of Willie McCoy found the use of force “reasonable and necessary,” according to a report released this week.

The report — released Monday and dated May 17 — revealed that the six Vallejo police officers who shot McCoy to death fired 55 rounds at him in just 3.5 seconds as he sat up in his car with a gun in his lap at a Taco Bell drive-thru.

McCoy, a local rapper, died on Feb. 9 after a restaurant employee called police to report a man slumped over at the wheel of a silver Mercedes. Responding officers found McCoy unresponsive with a gun in his lap and the car’s gear in drive, police said.

Police released body camera footage of the shooting in March. The video, which included police notes and edits as well as raw footage, shows officers discussing how to open McCoy’s car door and grab the gun in his lap before dragging him out of the car. The doors ended up being locked.

The video then shows McCoy beginning to move a short time later and his right hand scratches his left shoulder, before he bends forward and moves his left arm toward his lap. Officers shout at him to show his hands and almost immediately open fire through the windows, killing him with a barrage of bullets.

The city hired David Blake, a retired Livermore and BART police officer, to produce the report. Blake determined officers acted in line with current use-of-force practices.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Willie-McCoy-shooting-Vallejo-police-fired-55-13971390.php