Activists are continuing to protest the police killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed July 6 in her home by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy after she called 911 for assistance.
Black Lives Matter Springfield encouraged the public to join a march in support of Massey’s family on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the organizations Until Freedom and The Gathering for Justice announced “A National Day of Mourning for Sonya Massey” rally scheduled Sunday at Washington Square Park in New York City. Rallies in other cities are expected to be announced.
The deputy, Sean Grayson, 30, who is white, was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and was being held in jail without bail after a grand jury charged him on July 17 with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct, Atlanta-based URL partner Capital B News reported.
His initial court appearance was scheduled for Thursday. Grayson, according to NBC News, had been employed by six agencies since 2020, and had a history of DUI before working in law enforcement.
Massey’s family, alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump, reviewed the footage before it was released to the public on Monday, according to Capital B News.
“This is the worst police shooting video that I’ve seen. It is so senseless,” Crump said in an interview with Democracy Now!. “[Massey] needed a helping hand. She did not need a bullet to the face.”
Massey, a mother, called 911 in the early morning of July 6 to report a possible intruder around her home in an unincorporated neighborhood of Springfield, Illinois, according to news reports.
James Wilburn, Massey’s father, has recalled his daughter as a “daddy’s girl” who never ended the conversation without saying, “Daddy, I love you.”
Wilburn told CNN that police led them to believe that “the intruder, or someone from the neighborhood, may have killed her. We were absolutely shocked to find out that there was a deputy who shot.”
“You’re used to having ‘the talk’ with boys, but now I guess we have to talk to our girls about … their interactions with the police,” Wilburn said.
Police body-camera footage shows Grayson shooting at Massey three times after a tense moment over a hot pot of water. Massey received a fatal blow to the head, according to the Associated Press.
The Department of Justice said in an email to Capital B that they are “aware of and assessing the circumstances” of Massey’s “tragic officer-involved death,” and “will continue to track the criminal case opened by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has condemned the police killing of Massey.
“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,” Harris said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Our thoughts are also with the communities across our nation whose calls for help are often met with suspicion, distrust, and even violence.”
President Joe Biden offered his condolences to Massey’s family in a statement posted on X, adding that “Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to increase trust and accountability in America’s police force.”
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would create a national registry listing complaints and records of police misconduct, among other measures.
“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” Biden said. “Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
