Photo: Twitter
The family of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was shot to death by an Illinois deputy after calling 911 for help, believes officers attempted to cover up her shooting, initially saying her gunshot wound was self-inflicted.
Body camera footage shows Sangamon County Sheriff's deputies entering Massey's home on July 6 after she called 911 about a potential intruder. Now-former Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson, who is facing first-degree murder charges in connection to the shooting, spoke to Massey while his partner searched various rooms in the home.
At one point during the encounter, Massey got permission from Grayson to walk over to her stove. She grabbed a boiling pot of water sitting on top of it and asked the deputies "Where are you going?" as they backed away.
"...Away from your hot steaming water," one officer said, per body camera footage.
"I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus," Massey said.
Video shows Grayson pulling out a gun and threatening to shoot Massey. Massey then apologized and ducked behind her kitchen counter before Grayson shot her in the face.
During a press conference on Tuesday (July 23), Massey's family attorney, Ben Crump, said an officer claimed Massey's gunshot wounds were self-inflicted in audio from the dispatcher on the night of the shooting, per the Daily Mail.
Crump said Massey's family found out that she was fatally shot by a deputy through the media. Another family member alleged that they were told Massey was shot by an intruder.
'If it wasn't for the camera footage, [law enforcement] would have lied their way out of this,' Massey's father, James Wilburn, said.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris issued statements condemning Massey's shooting earlier this week.
"Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today," Biden said in a statement. "Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not."
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