County officials in Springfield, Illinois, recently announced that they have agreed to pay $10 million in settlements to the family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by a deputy in her own home.
Approved Tuesday night by the Sangamon County Board, the settlement will be partly paid by the county’s settlement fund, covering about $1.5 million of the agreed payment. The rest will reportedly stem from reserves in different county funds rather than raising taxes. The official disbursement of the settlement has yet to be decided by the court but is expected to go to Massey’s two teenage children.
During a virtual news conference yesterday morning held on what would have been the 37th birthday of Massey, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump called the latest agreement “the first step in the journey for justice.”
“It is bittersweet. This is our first step in getting full justice for Sonya Massey,” Crump said per AP News. “We want civil accountability, criminal culpability and we want legislative changes. We want the laws to prevent something like this from happening again.”
Today we remember Sonya Massey on her 37th birthday and honor her life. While her family has reached a $10M settlement, no amount can erase their pain over her senseless death — fatally shot by an Illinois sheriff's deputy in her own home after she called 911 for HELP. Sonya’s… pic.twitter.com/vL1nmpKez4
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) February 12, 2025
On July 6th of last year, Massey issued a call to 911 to report a suspected home intruder. Ex-sherriff Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy promptly arrived at the scene. As the three were conversing in the living room, Grayson directed the other deputy to remove a pot of water from the stove.
Massey then went to the pot while joking with Grayson about how he backed away from the pot before saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson then immediately pulled out his weapon, yelling at Massey to drop the pot. She apologized and sought shelter behind the counter as Grayson fired three shots- one of which hit Massey just below the left eye.
According to recordings by the sheriff’s department, Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, had called 911 the day before as her daughter struggled with mental issues and was afraid that the police might try to hurt her.
Grayson, who previously obtained two DUI convictions in 2015 and 2016, was fired and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He is currently still in jail for Massey’s murder.
