Sonya Massey, a Black woman from Illinois, was fatally shot by a Sangamon County deputy in her home after calling 911 for help.
According to reports, Deputy Sean Grayson and his partner arrived at Massey’s house to find her car had been burglarized. However, things took a turn when the deputies entered the home. During their interaction, Grayson asked Massey to remove the pot of boiling water from the stove and put it in the sink. Grayson and Massey began to exchange words and she said to the deputies, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson responded by saying, “I swear to God. I will shoot you right in your f*****g face.”
Bodycam footage shows Massey putting her hands up in fear before being shot three times by Deputy Grayson. The footage also shows Grayson refusing to help Massey and stopping his partner from helping her. Sean Grayson has been fired from the department and charged with first-degree murder.
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the family. He released a statement at a news conference after Massey’s funeral. “We promised Sonya Massey’s family that we would fight for them to get full justice.” He continued, “Whole justice. Not partial justice, not half justice, not ⅗ justice. The whole justice. We want the same justice that would happen had that been a white mother of two teenagers who called the police.”
After the release of the video, President Biden shared his reactions and condolences on Twitter. See his tweets below.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Sonya Massey’s family and loved ones during this time.