Sonya Massey is the latest name Black America is begging the world to remember.
The 36-year-old Black woman in Illinois was shot and killed by a deputy after she called local authorities to respond to a potential home invasion. On the body camera footage, Sean Grayson, now fired, is heard saying he didn’t want to get splashed in the face with the hot boiling water Massey held in a pot when Grayson demanded she put the pot down in the moment leading up to her death.
Massey’s father, James Wilburn, told Gayle King on “CBS Mornings” that two years after having heart surgery, he doesn’t think his old heart could have taken the pain he’s currently in. Wilburn also told King he was initially under the impression the intruder was the one who fatally shot Massey. He was also told the shot was self-inflicted at some point.
“Thank God for the body camera footage,” Wilburn said. “Probably the most horrible and heart-wrenching thing that we’ve ever seen in our lives, but if it weren’t for the body camera footage, we would not have known that this occurred.”
Several people then spoke up about Massey, including Solange Knowles, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
“[The] first words Sonya Massey said at her front door were ‘don’t hurt me,'” Knowles posted on X. “She was told, ‘Why would we hurt you? You called us.’
“When have those words meant anything when you’re Black and a woman in this country? When do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen, bedroom, with your babies or on your lawn? What is ‘reassurance’ in this place?
“Rest in Power, Sonya Massey. An abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey.”
Harris expressed her condolences to the family as well, and demanded swift action.
“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris’ official statement read. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. Doug and I send strength and prayers to Sonya’s family and friends, and we join them in grieving her senseless death …I join President Biden in commending the swift action of the State’s Attorney’s Office and in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that I coauthored in the Senate.”
Biden specifically called out local government officials in Illinois.
“I commend the swift actions that were taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office,” Biden’s statement read. “While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake.”
