Final summer time, on July 6, we discovered of a brand new cause for the police to kill an unarmed Black particular person: a pot of scorching water.
Sonya Massey, then 36, had known as 911 when she suspected an intruder at her residence in Springfield, Unwell.
In keeping with an Illinois State Police abstract of her capturing demise, when police arrived, deputies did certainly see a automotive at Massey’s residence that appeared damaged into. After knocking on the door, the 2 officers claimed they discovered her “distraught and never considering clearly.” However as an alternative of treating her as an individual in want of assist, she was finally handled as a felony, and after an trade, subsequently executed.
Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, reportedly stood roughly 10 ft away from Massey, and motioned to a pot on the range in her kitchen. At one level, Grayson responds to Massey, “Getting away out of your scorching, steaming water.” In response, the abstract says she repeats twice, “I rebuke you within the identify of Jesus.”
Grayson greeted that with, “I swear to God. I’ll shoot you proper in your f—— face.”
And so he did, however not earlier than she dropped the pot and crouched beneath a line of cupboards along with her palms within the air after apologizing as he drew his gun and pointed it at her.
Although she did get again up and grabbed the pot once more in protection, when she threw the water, Grayson’s response was to fireside his gun 3 times—one of many bullets went straight into her face.
If this doesn’t sound barbaric sufficient, after the capturing, when the second deputy within the residence claimed he deliberate to retrieve a medical package, Grayson advised him to not. The opposite deputy did anyway and remained with Massey till medical assist arrived. Grayson by no means bothered to assist the distressed girl he was despatched there to assist, however ended up capturing within the face.
He has since been indicted on fees of first-degree homicide, and extra lately, a brand new pre-trial date has been set, the place he’ll stand trial on Oct. 20 for the homicide of Sonya Massey.
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Massey’s household attended the transient pre-trial listening to earlier than Seventh Circuit Court docket Presiding Choose Ryan Cadagin final month.
Sontae Massey, a cousin of Sonya Massey, advised reporters, “We’re going to be at the entire hearings. They may have 100 hearings between now and Oct. 20. We’ll be at each considered one of them.”
In February, the household reached a $10 million settlement with officers in Sangamon County.
As a lot as they search justice for her killing, nevertheless, a separate interview highlights that past her victimhood, Sonya Massey was a mom and a loving one who has left behind a gap within the hearts of household, buddies, and the individuals in her group.
Talking with NewsChannel20 in Springfield, Unwell., forward of the one-year anniversary of her capturing, Massey’s household described her as “a hard-working mom who ensured her youngsters have been nicely taken care of.”
Certainly, her son, Malachi Hill-Massey, spoke fondly of his late mother in an interview with the Springfield State Journal-Register forward of his highschool commencement.
“She confirmed me methods of her being caring,” Hill-Massey defined. “She’s a helper, a carer, for everyone. She would assist any person earlier than she would assist herself.”
He mentioned he completed faculty early “for his mother” and Sonya’s mom, Donna Massey, mentioned in the identical interview, “We’re so blissful that he’s made his mama proud. We are able to really feel her shining down on us. I do know she’s blissful.”
And Malachi has a plan: he’ll attend commerce faculty for heating, air flow, and air-con, citing his mother as his motivation to succeed.
“I give it some thought on a regular basis,” he mentioned about her killing. “I’m younger. I would like my mother nonetheless.”
And as a grieving son, I associated to him saying he’s following the trial “as a lot as [he] can,” however “I’m nonetheless grieving. It’s a carrying course of. I’ve misplaced individuals earlier than, however when it’s somebody you’re with actually each single day, somebody I talked to each single day, it’s totally different.”
As for her shooter, Sean Grayson, Malachi mentioned: “You possibly can’t say it’s not mindless. You have been purported to be defending her. How might you flip your gun on her? Why would you even take into consideration deadly power earlier than a taser? He might have tased my mother. He might have pepper-sprayed her, something earlier than capturing her.”
As irritating as her loss stays, I take heed to her cousin Sontae Massey’s warning that whereas the world remembers Sonya as “the tiny girl chatting with the police within the ultimate moments of her life, she’s a lot greater than that.”
“I miss her on a regular basis,” Sontae shared. “I miss the Sonya that, I’d go over to mother’s home, and we’d crack jokes, and she or he would make enjoyable of me and she or he would share amusing with me. I miss that Sonya.”
The household mentioned that they really feel the hype of Sonya’s identify has began to die down, thus doing interviews like this one, helps them do all the things of their energy to maintain her identify alive.
That’s admirable, particularly given the circumstances, however allow us to do our half to assist hold her identify alive, too.
We are saying her identify not solely as a sufferer of police brutality however as a loving mom, daughter, cousin, and good friend who brightened the lives of the individuals round her and, like far too many Black individuals on this nation, proceed to have their gentle unjustly and premature dimmed.
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