The City of Vallejo has resolved a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with the family of Willie McCoy, a 20-year-old rapper fatally shot by police in 2019, agreeing to pay $5 million, officials confirmed. McCoy was asleep in his car at a Taco Bell drive-through when he was killed after officers fired 55 rounds in 3.5 seconds. According to SFist, the substantial payout follows other high-cost settlements tied to police shootings in Vallejo.
An investigation concluded the officers responded reasonably, despite the number of shots fired. However, Melissa Nold, the family's attorney, insisted, "Money is not justice when someone has been murdered." Nold also pledged on social media to continue efforts to investigate and prosecute "Willie’s murderers and other Vallejo PD badge benders" under federal law, as reported by KTVU.
UPDATE: @CityofVallejo agrees to pay $5M to settle lawsuit filed by family of Willie McCoy, shot and killed by 6 @VallejoPd officers who fired 55 shots in @tacobell drive-thru. “Money is not justice when someone has been murdered,” family atty @savage_esquire tells me pic.twitter.com/4HbxU2AMUR
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) January 10, 2024
The term "badge benders" refers to a scandal where Vallejo officers purportedly bent the tips of their badges to mark fatal shootings. This practice was spotlighted following the McCoy case and led to a $900,000 settlement for a whistleblower former police captain last fall, who claimed he was fired for exposing the misconduct, as per the coverage by SFist.
The incident that ended McCoy's life began with a 911 call reporting a man unresponsive in a car, who, as officers approached, was found with a firearm on his lap. Body-camera footage released did not visibly show the gun. However, the officers claimed they feared he was reaching for the weapon when he woke up, leading to the tragic outcome. Vallejo Police Department has been embroiled in controversy with high-profile shootings leading to several large settlements over recent years. Some of these cases include the $5.7 million awarded to the family of Ronell Foster, who had been shot and killed over a missing bicycle headlight, according to SFist.
The Vallejo PD has seen significant changes amidst these incidents, including the abrupt resignation of Police Chief Shawny Williams after three years and a no-confidence vote from the police union. Currently, the department is overseen by interim Police Chief Jason Ta. The force also declared a state of emergency citing a "critical police shortage" last summer which left them with a severely diminished patrolling staff, as KTVU reported.
