California rapper shot dead by cops at Taco Bell was sleeping, family says

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.”

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