The American Civil Liberties Union Thursday called for stricter use of force guidelines for law enforcement agencies in the wake of an officer-involved fatal shooting in Vallejo Saturday night.
"California has a problem with deadly policing. It's high time we address it. Mr. McCoy should be alive today," the ACLU's police practices director Peter Bibring said in a written statement.
Willie McCoy, 21, an African-American, was shot in his vehicle by six Vallejo police officers in the drive-thru of a Taco Bell restaurant. Police said he was asleep with a gun on his lap in his locked vehicle that was in drive.
Police said McCoy suddenly woke up, officers told him to keep his hands visible and McCoy was shot when he quickly reached for the handgun in his lap.
Police on Thursday identified McCoy as the person they killed, citing confirmation from the Solano County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.
Bibring said current California law allows police officers to use deadly force and take someone's life even when officers have other options.
"This permissive approach continues to result in far too many people —especially people of color — ending up dead at the hands of police," Bibring said.
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"This is a matter of life and death. California can and must update its deadly use of force laws and provide officers with adequate guidance to successfully resolve situations like the one that resulted in Mr. McCoy's death without anyone dying," Bibring said.
Several police forces have already adopted stricter use of force policies that reduced use of force without any negative impacts on the public or officer safety, Bibring said.
