[Photo: Trevor Hughes/USA Today Network]
Sonya Massey’s household and Sangamon County conform to a $10 million settlement over her deadly taking pictures on July 6th, 2024. Massey was 36 years previous and was shot and killed in her residence in Springfield, Illinois by former Deputy Sean Grayson. Massey initially referred to as 911 after she suspected somebody strolling round her yard. Two Sangamon County deputies responded to the incident, however the different one is unnamed. After not discovering anybody round Massey’s home, the 2 officers entered her residence, ultimately asking Massey to show off a pot of boiling water from the range as a result of they didn’t desire a fireplace whereas they had been there. After just a few moments of back-and-forth dialog, Massey instructed Deputy Grayson “I rebuke you within the identify of Jesus.” Grayson shot her thrice within the head and face.
After the taking pictures, Grayson was fired from his job, he had labored in a number of Illinois police stations within the span of 4 years. He was charged with first diploma homicide, and a lawsuit was filed by Massey’s household. In February 2025, Sangamon County agreed to pay Massey’s household $10 million to settle the case. Research present that Black Individuals are killed by police at a a lot increased charge than White Individuals. Between 2015 and 2024, for each a million Black individual within the U.S., about six had been shot and killed by police. For White folks, that quantity was about two per million. A report from Johns Hopkins College and Vanderbilt College discovered that between 2015 and 2020, police shot greater than 1,700 folks yearly. Greater than half of these shootings resulted in dying. Different research have proven that Black individuals are extra more likely to be unarmed when they’re shot by police in comparison with White folks.
The U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) and the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Workplace have agreed to implement modifications in officer coaching following the dying of Massey. The modifications will embody de-escalation methods when somebody is experiencing a disaster and probably sending psychological well being professionals with the officers in disaster conditions. In response to Capitol Information Illinois, the settlement between Sangamon County and the DOJ specifies that deputies and dispatchers shall be educated on nondiscriminatory policing, de-escalation ways, and correct methods to deal with behavioral crises. The county says it should associate with its native well being organizations to create a cell disaster response group. The group shall be liable for responding to crises utilizing the brand new instruments discovered as a substitute of conventional police intervention strategies.
