The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the deadly police shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 for help.
According to The Hill, the DOJ penned a letter to the Illinois' Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, saying the shooting raised “serious concerns about SCSO’s interactions with Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities.”
More concerns cited in the DOJ's letter included the “policies, practices, procedures, and training regarding community policing, bias-free policing, response to behavioral health crises, use of force, de-escalation." Federal officials are requesting the sheriff's office hand over all documents related to Massey's case, including phone logs, dispatch records, recordings, body camera footage, and a list of all personnel who responded to the scene.
The department set a December 14 deadline for the sheriff's office to comply with its request.
The DOJ's investigation comes after Massey called 911 on July 6 to report a possible intruder at her home. One of the Sangamon County deputies who responded to the call, Sean Grayson, shot and killed Massey following an exchange over a pot of hot water.
In its letter to the sheriff's office, the DOJ requested information on the department's strategy for responding to people in “behavioral health crises.”
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office previously said Grayson had not been “justified in his use of deadly force.” Grayson was fired from the department and faces charges of murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty.
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