On Monday, July 22, the Illinois State Police released body camera footage showing the officer’s deadly shooting of Sonya Massey. When the 36-year-old woman called 911 to report a possible intruder outside her house, the individuals who were supposed to safeguard her ended up killing her.
Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County deputy, was accused of misconduct, first-degree murder, and aggravated violence with a firearm. He can be seen shouting at Massey to put down a pot of hot water from across a counter in the 36-minute footage. She said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” then apologized and ducked under her cover.
Grayson then proceeded to threaten her with a gunshot and fired multiple times. Public outcry over the heartbreaking video prompted some celebrities and law enforcement figures to share their opinions on Tuesday, July 23.
“If you slow it down, she didn’t even have that pot in her hand,” Meek Mill tweeted. “The police shot and killed a [36-year-old] Black lady holding a pot [because] she said,” said former NBA player Nick Young. “In the name of Jesus, I rebuke you.” And [Team USA] is what we [are] playing for out here.
Solange expressed her emotions on the platform and dedicated a cover of Syreeta Wright’s “Black Maybe” to the innumerable lives lost to police brutality. “Don’t hurt me,” was Sonya Massey’s first words as she opened her front door. “Why would we hurt you?” was said to her. You gave us a call. When you’re a woman of color in this country, when have those words ever meant anything? The singer asked.
“When do those words protect you from not getting murdered on your lawn, with your babies, in your kitchen, or in your bedroom?” she asked. U.S. President Joe Biden denounced Grayson’s conduct as “unthinkable and senseless” in a press release from the White House. We are praying and thinking of Massey’s family.
