Family: California man who was shot dead by police was sleeping in car

VALLEJO, Calif. (WSVN) — The family of a California man who was shot dead by police said he was asleep in his car moments before his death.

According to Vallejo Police, officers received a call from Taco Bell employees regarding a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of a car at their drive-thru. Two officers responded to check on the driver and upon walking up to the car, they said they found an unresponsive man with a handgun on his lap.

Investigators said the two officers decided not to wake the man and waited for additional officers to arrive on the scene.

Once other officers got to the scene, they said they elected to have an officer try to open the door and quickly take the gun while another officer covered him, but that plan fell apart after officers discovered the door was locked. However, police said they noticed the car was in drive, so they positioned a marked patrol vehicle right in front of the car to prevent “forward or erratic movement” while they called for a patrol supervisor to respond to the scene.

However, while officers were positioning the patrol unit, they said the driver suddenly began to move and saw the officers. Police said officers told the man several times to put his hands up, but he did not comply and “instead he quickly moved his hands downward for the firearm.”

“Fearing for their safety, six officers fired their duty weapons at the driver,” investigators said in a statement. “Officers continued to yell commands at the driver and ultimately reached through the broken glass of the driver’s window to unlock the vehicle.”

Police said they pulled the driver from the vehicle and began medical assistance, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man has not been identified by officials, but 48-year-old David Harrison told the Los Angeles Times the victim was his cousin, 20-year-old Willie James McCoy.

Harrison said his cousin was an aspiring rapper and actor.

Harrison also said McCoy had been to a studio recording session earlier in the day before dropping off his girlfriend and going to get food at Taco Bell. Harrison believed McCoy was simply exhausted after a long day.

“My little cousin was asleep in the car, and they shot him 20 [expletive] times,” Harrison said in a Facebook Live video.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

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