Harris condemns shooting of Sonya Massey, calls for justice reforms

“After calling police for help, she was tragically murdered in her own home at the hands of an officer who was on the scene and who had sworn to protect and serve her,” Harris said.

Harris was responding to bodycam footage released Tuesday by prosecutors in the case. The footage shows Grayson and another unnamed officer inspecting the property around Massey’s home in the early morning of July 6. Though the inspection was followed by 18 minutes of relatively normal interaction with her, Massey’s 911 call turned deadly within 10 seconds after Grayson drew his weapon, ordered Massey to drop a pot of hot water and then fatally shot her in the face.

Last week, Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct after a weeks-long investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office. At the urging of prosecutors, Judge Ryan Cadagin denied Grayson bail and ordered him jailed. Records show he is in the Menard County Detention Facility.

Grayson, who was discharged after his indictment on Thursday, faces life in prison if convicted of murder. His attorney, Dan Fultz, declined to comment on the case on Monday.

In her statement, Harris said the “disturbing images released yesterday confirm what we know from the experiences of so many: We have much work to do to ensure our justice system lives up to its name.”

“I join President Biden in commending the swift action of the Attorney General’s Office and in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill I helped author in the Senate,” Harris said. “At this moment, in honor of Sonya’s memory and the memory of many more whose names we may never know, we must come together to achieve meaningful reforms that keep all communities safe.”

On Monday, President Biden said in a statement that Massey — whom he described as “a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman” — “should be alive today.”

“Sonya called police because she was concerned about a potential intruder,” Biden said in his statement. “When we ask for help, as Americans, we should all be able to do so — no matter who we are or where we live — without fear for our lives.”

Biden added that Massey’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that Black Americans too often face fear for their safety in ways that many of us do not.

The president praised the actions taken by the DA’s office to investigate the case and, like Harris, called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. In 2021, negotiations on the law, which was introduced after Floyd’s killing in May 2020, collapsed due to partisan disagreements.

Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, both Democrats from Illinois, also condemned the shooting in statements.

“Sonya Massey feared for her safety and trusted law enforcement to protect her — and that trust should never have cost Sonya her life,” Duckworth said. “This type of tragedy at the hands of law enforcement is all too common for Black Americans and is completely unacceptable and unjust. While it will not bring Sonya back, it was the right thing to do to allow state authorities to bring appropriate charges in this case.”

According to Durbin, the bodycam footage is “disturbing and unacceptable.”

“My thoughts remain with Sonya Massey’s children, family and loved ones as they relive these terrible moments,” Durbin said.