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Willie McCoy's Biography

Willie McCoy, an emerging African-American rapper known by the alias, Willie Bo, was tragically killed by police at only twenty years of age in Vallejo, California. The young musician faced his fatal act on February 9, 2019, when a 911 call concerning an unconscious man in a Taco Bell drive-through resulted in six police officers discovering McCoy with a .40 caliber handgun that was found out later to have been stolen from Oregon. The gun was equipped with an extended magazine and was lying on McCoy’s lap when he was located by the officers.

Born into adversity, McCoy lost both of his parents to cancer by the tender age of twelve. Despite his personal tragedies, he proved to be an enthusiastic learner, excelling at sports during his high school years, and achieved his GED before deciding to follow his passion for music and discontinuing his conventional education. His fellow artists admired his relentless work ethic and an earnest aspiration to succeed in an industry reputed for its competitiveness.

Assuming the stage name Willie Bo, he joined the musical group FBG (Forever Black Gods), recording songs focused on themes that narrated their experiences living in treacherous neighborhoods like money, guns, and street violence. The media, as well as some collaborators, suggested their lyrics were manipulated to fit the industry’s standards and looked intriguing to their young audience on platforms like YouTube. However, very few comprehended their struggles, overlooking that much of their music was also about overcoming life’s obstacles, like the difficulty of growing up without a father.

On April 11, 2018, the San Francisco and Oakland police arrested and charged Willie McCoy with kidnapping, human trafficking, and weapon violations. These charges were eventually dropped, leaving unanswered questions about McCoy’s involvement in the theft of the gun he was carrying at the time of his untimely death.

The Vallejo Police Department had about 100 officers serving approximately 122,000 residents at the time of McCoy’s fatal shooting. Despite community outreach and increased officer training programs under Police Chief Andrew Bidou, residents had concerns about the department’s use of force. From 2015 to 2017, the Vallejo Police Department faced the shame of having paid more per officer in fines or settlements for civil rights abuse claims than any other large force in the Bay Area. Between 2016 and 2019, five of their officers were involved in multiple shootouts. One of them was involved in a civil lawsuit over a fatal shooting in February 2018 and was also part of the six-man team that shot McCoy.

The events of the tragic night McCoy was killed remain controversial. An unconscious McCoy was found in his car with the engine running and the car in drive. An employee alerted the police, who arrived and activated their body cameras. McCoy appeared oblivious to his surroundings and was not aware of the presence of the police. Controversially, the officers interpreted McCoy’s subtle movements as him reaching for the gun on his lap, prompting them to unleash a barrage of 55 rounds of bullets that ended his life instantly.

The police claimed that McCoy was given verbal warnings to put his hands up before they opened fire; however, this claim was disputed by video footage that showed the officers firing within three seconds of issuing the warning. Further contradictions arose when the gun initially described by the police as having a “half-out” magazine was later reported to have been loaded with an extended 14-round magazine.

McCoy’s family called the incident “execution by a firing squad” and expressed skepticism about the presence of a gun. They revealed he had been fatigued due to recent touring and recording rounds at the time of his death.

In the aftermath of McCoy’s shooting, Andrew Bidou, Vallejo’s police chief, announced his retirement amid criticism of his department’s conduct. McCoy’s family received permission to watch police footage of the shooting and maintained their stand that McCoy was asleep when the undesirable incident unfolded. In addition, a wrongful death claim was filed against the city in February 2019 by McCoy’s family.

The complex saga took another contentious turn on March 30, 2019, when the police unexpectedly published the bodycam footage from the incident. In response, McCoy’s family stated that he had carried the gun for self-protection, a fact contested by the police who maintained that the weapon was stolen. As of January 2024, the case had been settled with McCoy’s family being awarded $5 million by the city of Vallejo.