Report States Officers Used ‘Reasonable Force’ in Fatal Shooting of Rapper Willie Bo

An independent report ordered by the city of Vallejo, California, found officers had acted “reasonably” in the fatal shooting of Willie McCoy, a 21-year-old Bay Area rapper who went by the stage name Willie Bo.

The report, authored by retired peace officer David Blake, revealed Vallejo cops had fired 55 rounds in 3.5 seconds during the February incident. Officers had responded to a report about a man who was “slumped over” in a silver Mercedes in a Taco Bell drive-thru. The man turned out to be McCoy, who was allegedly asleep in the car with a gun in his lap when law enforcement arrived. Moments after McCoy gained consciousness, he allegedly moved his left had toward the fire arm while ignoring officers’ commands. It was at that time police opened fire.

Blake concluded the six involved officers “had probable cause to believe McCoy posed an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to himself as well as other officers on the scene”; therefore, the use of force was both reasonable and necessary. 

John Burris, the attorney for McCoy’s family, said the report was “irrelevant,” as it was written by a man who also believed officers acted reasonably in the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark.

“It only means to me that local police agencies have found a person they can count on to support their position,” Burris told USA Today. “[…] These officers used deathly force tactics. They wake a man up and, before he has a chance to react, they shoot and kill him. That cannot be reasonable.”