Six Vallejo, California police officers responded to a call on February 9 about a man named Willie McCoy who was sleeping in his car. Two patrol cars arrived at the scene around 10:30 p.m., and when the officers examined the car, they reportedly saw a handgun in the driver’s lap and immediately called for backup.

Although the officers discussed attempting to remove the gun from the driver, they realized the doors were locked and the car was reportedly in drive. Another patrol car later arrived on the scene and was positioned in front of McCoy’s car "to prevent forward or erratic movement," according to police.

When another car arrived to block the rear of McCoy’s vehicle, he woke up and allegedly scratched his left shoulder.

Police claim McCoy was given "several commands" to put his hands up, but he allegedly did not comply and "quickly" moved his hands down to the gun. And that’s when officers fired-off 55 shots in 3.5 seconds.

Now, an investigation by retired police officer David Blake claims the tactics used by the Vallejo Police Department on the 20-year-old were "reasonable based upon my training and experience as a range instructor as well as through applied human factors psychology." Blake also concluded the use of deadly force was "objectively reasonable and necessary" given the circumstances.
Melissa Nold, an attorney for the family, said in a statement, “This is an unconstitutional level of force… You want to ensure that this human being does not survive.” She also said, “Each bullet has to be justified,” and saying of Blake “He gets paid to defend police when they shoot people. We know who he is.”

The death of McCoy sparked outrage in the community and demands for police accountability and an independent investigation into the entire department’s training and alleged continual pattern of racial bias.

The independent report was completed on May 17, nearly two months after bodycam footage of the incident was released. It’s unclear how many bullets actually struck McCoy, but family attorneys claim he was hit around 25 times.

The six officers returned to duty three weeks after the tragic shooting.

Many on social media do not believe that the force used against Willie McCoy was “reasonable.” See their frustration below.