Source: Wikipedia / Sonya Massey
Imagine being a Black woman who called the police and only ended up being shot dead in your home; that was the sad and tragic reality for Sonya Massey.
*Trigger warning: this article contains detailed descriptions of violence.*
Outrage has taken over social media after body-camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, who was gunned down by the same police she called for help.
The footage was released as part of the case against Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy Sean Grayson, who has been slapped with murder charges.
The 36-minute chilling video (we will not be sharing) via the Illinois State Police includes body-camera footage that shows two Sangamon County Sheriff Deputies who came to Massey’s house after midnight on July 6th after Massey called 911 to report a “prowler” at her Springfield home, court documents revealed.
Per CNN:
In the footage, deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy speak calmly with Massey in her home when she goes to the stove to turn off a pot of boiling water. She then picks up the pot and the other deputy steps back, “away from your hot steaming water,” he says.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she says in response.
“Huh?” the deputy says.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she repeats.
“You better f**king not or I swear to God I’ll f**king shoot you in the f**king face,” Grayson says.
He then draws his firearm and points it at her, and she ducks and says, “I’m sorry” while lifting the pot, the video shows.
“Drop the f**king pot!” both deputies yell.
Three shots are heard. After a few seconds of silence, one deputy says “shots fired” and calls for emergency medical services.
“Dude, I’m not taking f**king boiling water to the f**king head. And look, it came right to our feet, too,” Grayson says.
Minutes after the shooting, Grayson speaks to another law enforcement figure. “She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water,” he says in the video. “She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at (me) with boiling water.”
The Outrage Is Loud & Clear On Social Media
The release of the video comes two weeks after the fatal shooting and days after Grayson was charged with Massey’s death.
A grand jury indicted Grayson, 30, on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
According to court records, he entered a plea of not guilty.
As expected, the outrage about this latest death of a Black person at the hands of law enforcement is very loud on social media.
“A Black woman in her own home called 911 due to a burglar in her home. This officer came in and shot her and refused for his partner to render aid to her. Say her name: Sonya Massey. Don’t remain silent. Stand up for her and fight. This should not have happened…,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump wrote on X, “Violence against Black women MUST STOP! We must demand FULL JUSTICE for Sonya Massey!”
Body cam footage released Monday shows the shocking moments when Sonya Massey was fatally shot in the face by a deputy after she called 911 for help. Violence against Black women MUST STOP! We must demand FULL JUSTICE for Sonya Massey! pic.twitter.com/FlAiuCiSg0
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) July 23, 2024
President Biden and Vice President Harris condemned the shooting, calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today.
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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2024
Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.
The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.
President Biden and I call on Congress to pass the…
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 23, 2024
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
