Claims Filed Against Vallejo Police In Deadly Shooting, Altercation
VALLEJO (KPIX 5) – A Bay Area civil rights attorney filed claims against the Vallejo Police Department on Thursday, alleging excessive force in two encounters, including a deadly shooting.
One of the claims involves the February 9th fatal shooting of Willie McCoy, a 20-year-old rapper.
Six officers opened fire on McCoy, who was found at a Taco Bell drive-thru, asleep in a car. Police said he had a gun on his lap.
Attorney John Burris said after the young man was startled awake, officers made no attempt to retrieve him by reaching through an open passenger window. Meanwhile, police said the car was locked.
Burris is also representing a man in a separate incident on January 22nd, when an officer tried to make a traffic stop in a driveway last month. The officer then confronted a man, who was standing on his front porch, using a cell phone to record what was happening.
That man, Adrian Burrell, said he suffered a concussion during the altercation.
Burris said his main goal is to change the city's use of force policies.
"And as long as officers are not held accountable, and there's no discipline, then that is a license to continue doing what you're doing. Those are unconstitutional policies that are in place, and we are going to look at those polices," Burris said.
The attorney said the claims he just filed are notifying the city and that he will file lawsuits in both cases. Burris is also demanding the release of body cam video from the deadly shooting.