Nationwide outrage was sparked this week after two-week-old body-camera footage showed a white Illinois police officer fatally shooting Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman. “[Massey] needed a helping hand,” said attorney Ben Crump—known for representing the families of Black victims of police brutality—at a news conference this week. “She did not need a bullet to the face.” Below, find everything you need to know about the still-developing story.
Who was Sonya Massey?
Massey was a 36-year-old Black mother of two children who lived in the Cabbage Patch neighborhood of Springfield, Illinois. Massey’s father, James Wilburn, has described her as a “daddy’s girl” who never ended the conversation without saying, “Daddy, I love you.” According to Massey’s obituary, she was a member of Second Timothy Baptist Church in Springfield and “loved to do hair and spend time with her family.” Crump said on Monday that Massey had mental health challenges.
What were the circumstances that led to Massey’s death?
Massey reportedly called 911 on July 6, 2024, to report a possible prowler at her home. Two white Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies arrived at her door and, in an initially calm encounter that quickly turned heated, waited while Massey turned off a pot of boiling water on the stove. One of the deputies mentioned that he was stepping back “away from your hot, steaming water,” to which Massey replied, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Deputy Sean Grayson can then be heard telling Massey, “You better fucking not, or I swear to God, I’ll fucking shoot you in the fucking face,” while pointing his firearm at her. Massey then said, “I’m sorry,” while lifting the pot. Both deputies can then be heard shouting at Massey to drop the pot; next, three shots are heard being fired, with Grayson telling another law-enforcement member afterward that Massey “came at me with boiling water.”
What do we know about Sean Grayson, one of the police officers who shot Massey?
Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he shot Massey, but he can be heard on his partner’s body camera telling him not to bother getting a medical kit to help her because “she’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot.” Grayson also told a group of other law-enforcement officers outside Massey’s house that “this fucking bitch is crazy.”
Prior to the incident, Grayson had worked at six different law-enforcement agencies in Illinois over the past four years, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving under the influence, and was discharged from the Army for “serious misconduct.”
Have any consequences followed Massey’s killing?
The Sangamon County sheriff’s office said on July 17 that Grayson had been fired, writing in a public statement: “It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.” That day, Grayson was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder by a grand jury.
Who has spoken out about Massey’s death?
Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris released a statement about Massey’s death on Tuesday, writing: “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe. After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. Doug and I send strength and prayers to Sonya’s family and friends, and we join them in grieving her senseless death.”
President Joe Biden also said in a Monday statement that Massey “should be alive today,” adding, “Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not” and urging Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.