Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement over the Sonya Massey case. Massey, an unarmed Black woman shot three times by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy after initially calling for help.
“Doug and I send strength and prayers to Sonya’s family and friends, and we join them in grieving her senseless death,” said Harris, adding that Massey “deserved to be safe.”
In her statement, she reached out to the communities impacted by police injustice over the years, assuring that she and her team will work to “ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.”
Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 23, 2024
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…
Harris joined President Biden in commending the State Attoryney’s Office and requesting Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which she coauthored in the Senate. Harris lastly announced that in honor of Sonya and others who have fallen before her, the public must unite to “achieve meaningful reforms that advance the safety of all communities.”
The footage, captured on July 6 at Massey’s Springfield home, shows her letting the officers inside and exchanging words before the shooting occurred. “Don’t hurt me,” Massey said when she opened her door and came face to face with the officers.
A few minutes before her death, Massey was captured trying to find her identification in her purse at the officers’ request to complete a report before they departed from her residence. Grayson pointed towards a pot sitting on an open flame on the stove and mentioned the fire be turned off during their visit. Massey stood up from her couch, headed towards her kitchen and moved the pot toward the sink. Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, and she appeared to joke about her “hot steaming water,” just a couple of feet away from each other, to which Massey responded, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson unexpectedly replied with explicit language and his hand on his gun, “You better (expletive) not or I swear to God I’ll (expletive) shoot you in your (expletive) face.”
After pulling out his gun, Massey quickly responded, “OK, I’m sorry,” and ducked after hearing his threat. Rising just a bit with her hands in the air, shots were fired.
Last week, Grayson was fired and is being held in the Sangamon County Jail without bond.
On July 17, an Illinois grand jury indicted Grayson, who pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. If convicted, he will serve prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery and two to five years for misconduct.
At a news conference on Monday afternoon, Ben Crump, the family’s lawyer and civil rights attorney, called Grayson’s “revisionist” justification “disingenuous.”
Crump referenced Massey’s quote, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” mentioning that her references to God were due to her undergoing treatment for mental health issues.
On Monday, in a presidential statement, President Joe Biden announced he and First Lady Jill Biden expressed sympathy for Massey’s family “as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss.”
Massey’s case has sparked outrage on social media as the body cam footage continues to be shared. Many online agreed in calling the incident a “cold-blooded murder,” with one Tiktok user receiving thousands of likes on his comment, “This is America,” referencing the misuse of guns in the country.
During her funeral on July 19, Massey’s father, James Wilburn, said, “ The only time I will see my baby again is when I leave this world. And I don’t ever want anybody else in the United States to join this league.”
