When the cops came upon Willy Bo he was sleeping in his car outside a Vallejo, California Taco Bell.
The young rapper ended up being shot to death by six police officers.
The cops say he reached for a handgun. Bo's family says the police acted too quickly and too rashly:
“There was no attempt to try to work out a peaceful solution,” Marc McCoy, Willie’s older brother, told the Guardian. “The police’s job is to arrest people who are breaking the law – not take the law into your own hands. You’re not judge, jury and executioner … We’re never going to get over this.”
According to the police report, on Saturday at 10:30 PM cops were called by a Taco Bell employee who reported a man slumped over in his car. When the police arrived they say there was a handgun in Bo's lap, the doors of his car were locked, and the car was on. He started moving when they called for backup. Police allege they told Bo to keep his hands visible. When he instead motioned them toward his lap all six opened fire, killing the 20-year old.
McCoy believes the cops startled his brother by waking him up, and that's why he moved as he did.
“Police are trained to shoot first and hurt you first,” he said. “They do not respect black people. Even when they have a person subdued and their life is not in danger, they continue to be blatantly physically disrespectful. That is just accepted in America.”
RIP.