Willie McCoy
Birth date:
April 17, 1997
Death date:
February 9, 2019
Age at Death:
20
About
Willie McCoy was a hardworking man, who was aspiring to be a rapper. He was passionate about creating music to bring people joy. He was also determined to create music regarding police brutality and the violence and racism he was constantly seeing. McCoy grew up in Sacramento, where he lived until he lost his father at the age of 11. He then lived with his mother in Vallejo, California, but lost his mom only two months after moving with her. Many people loved him, his cousin said, "He had a good culture to him, Willie was raised by the village by all of the family and the whole." His cousin David also stated that Willie often talked about unifying the people, and putting an end to the police brutality he and his friends/family constantly experienced. His friends constantly talk about how much of a loving, kind, hardworking, leader Willie was.
Willie McCoy was sleeping in his car in the parking lot of a Taco Bell when the Vallejo police were notified of a person that was unresponsive in a car, police arrived at the site and stated that Willie was unresponsive, and had a gun on his lap. His car was in drive, and his doors were locked, McCoy woke up to see his car blocked in by cop cars. The officers were yelling at McCoy to show them his hands. He reached down at his gun and six officers shoot him. There were six officers involved in his death, in which two had been involved in police shootings before.
Was justice served?
6 months after the shooting, over a year ago, all six of the officers responsible for his death had returned to their job. There are six videos, each from a different angle, of the shooting. None of the videos are clear enough to see McCoy with a gun on his lap. Willie's family refuses to believe the police's story without proof. McCoy's family attorney filed a lawsuit against the city of Vallejo as a federal civil rights lawsuit, but no justice has been served.