US police under scrutiny after rapper shot dead in car

Police in northern California are conducting a probe following outrage over the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old rapper who was found sleeping in his car outside a Taco Bell.

According to the Vallejo Police Department, the February 6 shooting took place after employees at the fast-food outlet late that evening called to report a Mercedes parked in the drive-thru line with a man slumped over in the driver's seat.

In a statement, police said officers responded to the call and as they approached the locked vehicle, they noticed that the driver was unresponsive and had a gun on his lap. They added that the car's transmission was in drive.

As police assessed the situation and tried to prevent the vehicle from moving forward, the statement said, things turned deadly.

"The driver ... suddenly began to move," the police report said. "The officers told the driver to keep his hands visible, however the driver quickly reached for the handgun on his lap.

"In fear for their own safety, the officers discharged their weapons at the driver." It was unclear how many bullets were fired.

McCoy was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family has challenged the police version of events, describing the shooting as an "execution" and a clear case of racial profiling.

"There was no attempt to try to work out a peaceful solution," Marc McCoy, Willie's older brother, told the Guardian.

"The police's job is to arrest people who are breaking the law -- not take the law into your own hands. You're not judge, jury and executioner ... We're never going to get over this."