CAUGHT ON FILM

Footage Released of Six California Police Officers Shooting Rapper Inside Car

The six officers shot the man a total of 25 times.

Police body-cam footage released Friday shows the moment when six police officers in Vallejo, California, opened fire on a man sleeping inside his car with a gun on his lap. Willie McCoy, a rapper, was fatally shot about 25 times in February, suffering injuries to his face, throat, shoulders, chest, and arm. The 30-minute video, which was shown to McCoy’s family earlier this month, compiles footage from all six officers’ body cameras. One officer can be heard saying he notices McCoy’s gun has no magazine, so at the most it would have one bullet that could have been fired. Police subtitles added to the video say the gun was actually loaded with an extended 14-round magazine. Neither McCoy’s face nor the weapon are clearly visible in the footage.

Eventually, officers see McCoy moving and appearing to scratch his arm. He then jerks up and appears to reach down. McCoy’s face is obscured by an officer’s arm pointing his gun. An officer begins shouting for McCoy to “show me your hands,” and the officers then fire at him within seconds. A press release following the incident said the officers were “fearing for their safety” when they opened fire. All six have since returned to duty.

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