Why is Sonya Massey Dead?
Killed in Her Home After Calling 911 to Report an Intruder
On July 6, 2024, at 12:50 A.M., Sonya Massey called the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, reporting that she thought someone was in her home. She should have taken her chances with the prowler rather than call the police. Two officers arrived to check out the disturbance. Minutes later, Massey was shot in the face and died shortly afterward.
Deputy Sean Grayson seems to have been triggered over a pot of hot water on the stove. His partner’s body cam footage shows Grayson motioning to the pot. Massey responded by turning off the burner and taking the pot of hot water to the sink to pour it out. She asked the deputies what they were doing. Grayson responded, “Getting away from your hot, steaming water.” Massey reportedly twice said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“I swear to God. I will shoot you right in your fucking face!”
Deputy Grayson drew his gun and ordered Massey to drop the pot. She did. Sonya raised her hands, apologized, and ducked behind a line of cabinets. Grayson approached Massey with his weapon drawn. She stood up and grabbed the pot while Grayson kept approaching. He ordered her to drop the pot, and she allegedly threw the pot toward a chair near where she’d been ducking. Grayson shot three times, hitting Massey once in the face as he initially promised.
Grayson’s partner wanted to retrieve a medical kit from their car but was ordered not to by Grayson due to the “severity of the injury.” Grayson then turned on his body camera for the first time. The second deputy attempted to render aid (without the medical kit) until EMTs arrived. Massey was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
On July 17, a grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Grayson. The second deputy's body camera footage will be released publicly on Monday, July 22. The Massey family’s attorney, Ben Crump (who need never fear a lack of clients), issued the following statement.
“Today marks an important milestone in the pursuit of justice for Sonya Massey’s family. While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable and we will demand transparency at every step. This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy. We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur,” — Ben Crump
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement of its own:
“The actions taken by Deputy Grayson do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole,” the statement reads, in part. “Good law enforcement officers stand with our community in condemning actions that undermine the trust and safety we strive to uphold. In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also released a statement on July 17, thanking the state attorney’s office “for bringing the appropriate charges in this case.”
“Sonya Massey was concerned for her safety and called law enforcement to her home for protection. Like all Illinoisans, she deserved that protection. Instead, innocent and unarmed, she was gunned down by an officer of the law. My heart breaks for Sonya’s children, for her family and friends, and for all who knew and loved her, and I am enraged that another innocent black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer.
I’m grateful to the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office for bringing the appropriate charges in this case. May Sonya Massey’s memory be a blessing, and may it fuel our work to build a system of justice in this country that truly protects all of its citizens.”
I have no idea how to wrap up this story. The officer involved will be prosecuted, which is a good thing. The Sheriff’s Office and Governor have thrown him under the bus as there was nothing to support that it was a good shooting. I had never thought previously that a police officer woke up one morning looking for someone to kill. Maybe he’d always been looking for an excuse until he found one. I’m waiting to see the released footage to see if things are even worse than reported. Until then…
How many black lives will it take to stop these horrible, inexcusable killings by white law enforcement officers?
« It's “extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot … by the police in her own home,” Ben Crump, a Florida-based civil rights attorney representing Massey’s family told CNN last week. »
Not at all Mr. Crump! This is just one of those horrific things that seemingly only happens to Black women. I have never, for example, ever read about a White woman being shot in the face by the very officers she called for help! I have never read or seen video of a White woman dragged naked out of her home onto her front lawn in broad daylight in full view of neighbors and then hog tied and then thrown into the backseat of a police cruiser because the person they were looking for did not live there and was already in jail; I have never seen a White woman pulled over in an SUV and everyone (minor children as young as 6) ordered out of the SUV to lay on the hot black top for more than 30 minutes because the police were looking for a stolen motorcycle registered in a different State. For Black women these horrific stories about things that have happened to them at the hands of police 👮♂️ 👮🏿♀️ are just gut wrenching! Black women cannot even return to the U.S. after foreign travel without being sexually assaulted by CBP officers at the airport under the fake war on drugs. Yeah - it’s legal and Clarence Thomas made it so victims can’t even sue these rat bastards in June of 2022 in Egbert v Boule. You have no rights at international airports and borders crossings in the U.S. However - because of systematic racism this mostly impacts Black women. This does not mean this does not happen to white woman … because it does and according to Customs own data - White women are more likely to be carrying drugs but Black women are more likely to be subjected to intensive body / cavity searches by some bloke or lass that probably barely earned their GED.