VALLEJO — The six Vallejo police officers who shot 20-year-old Willie McCoy in the drive-through of a Taco Bell restaurant are all expected to be back on full duty by next week, department spokesman Sgt. Jeff Tai confirmed Thursday to this newspaper.
At the same time, the department is refusing to release records related to McCoy’s shooting until at least April 9, saying the investigation is still in its early stages. Both Vallejo police and the Solano County District Attorney are reviewing the shooting.
The six officers who shot McCoy, identified as Ryan McMahon, Collin Eaton, Bryan Glick, Jordon Patzer, Anthony Romero-Cano and Mark Thompson, were all placed on administrative leave after the Feb. 9 shooting. Their names were released Wednesday, in response to a records request from this newspaper.
In a separate email to this newspaper Thursday, the department refused to release records, body camera footage and other material related to McCoy’s shooting. The Vallejo Times-Herald is seeking access to those records under California’s new police transparency law, Senate Bill 1421.
Vallejo police Lt. Steve Cheatham said the estimated date of disclosure is April 9.
“The incident occurred 12 days ago, and the investigation is in its early stages,” Cheatham said. “Release of information at this time would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation and would interfere with the investigators’ ability to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.
“Furthermore, the report into this incident is not yet complete,” he added in his response. “As such, the interest in delaying disclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.”
McCoy was killed the evening of Feb. 9, after Taco Bell employees called police to report that McCoy was “hunched over” behind the wheel of a silver Mercedes sedan in the drive-through of the restaurant located in the 900 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane, according to police.
Two officers responded and found McCoy “unresponsive” in the locked car with a handgun in his lap. When the officers saw a gun in the man’s lap, they called for backup, a Vallejo police news release says.
Four more officers arrived at the restaurant. They tried the car door, “with the intention of one officer swiftly retrieving the firearm from the subject’s lap, while another officer covered him,” but it was locked, according to the release.
Police said they were attempting to block McCoy’s vehicle in when he awoke and reached for the gun.
Police further said the officers “feared for their lives” and thus opened fire on McCoy, killing him. Authorities say the weapon in McCoy’s lap, a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, had been reported stolen out of Oregon.
Outcry over the shooting has led to sustained protests across social media and statements from civil-rights organizations, as well as national and international media attention.
Many have questioned the police account of the shooting, wondering why officers didn’t simply access McCoy’s car through the front passenger window, which was covered in plastic, if they wanted to disarm him.
In a video with audio of the shooting, police can be heard yelling commands to McCoy and firing at him less than three seconds later. More than twenty shots are audible.
McCoy’s family is expected to file a legal claim against the city next week.
