Sonya Massey Death - Police killing of Sonya Massey is striking example of another ‘senseless loss’ in the Black community

The message reverberating across the internet is that Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother, should still be alive. This sentiment has gained national traction following the release of body camera footage on Monday, showing her killing by a White sheriff’s deputy in Illinois. President Joe Biden, advocates, and celebrities have all voiced their outrage.

Massey was shot on July 6 while handling a pot of hot water in her kitchen by a deputy who was several feet away in the living room. Her death occurred just a week before the ninth anniversary of Sandra Bland’s death, which helped fuel the #SayHerName movement aimed at highlighting police brutality against Black women.

Biden expressed his sorrow in a statement on Monday: “Sonya Massey, a cherished mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Her family deserves justice, and my heart goes out to her children and family as they face this senseless loss.”

On the morning of July 6, Massey called 911 about a possible intruder outside her home. Police body camera footage shows Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy knocking on her door and demanding that she open it. The deputies question Massey about a vehicle in her driveway and enter her home minutes later to request her ID.

When the deputies ask Massey to check on a pot of boiling water, one deputy jokes about moving away from the hot water. Tensions rise when Massey says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” One deputy then threatens to shoot her, and both deputies draw their guns, demanding that she drop the pot. Massey, trying to move away, is shot by Grayson.

Grayson has been fired and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

Massey’s death underscores the alarming pattern of violent police encounters involving Black people, even those who call for help. Data on fatal police encounters is sparse, but the Washington Post's database shows that in 2023, eight out of 1,161 people fatally shot by police were Black women. There have been six fatal police shootings of Black women so far in 2024.

Women of color also face heightened risks of sexual violence during police encounters. In 2015, former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was convicted of raping Black women he targeted based on their socioeconomic status and criminal records. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s #SayHerName movement, launched the same year, has brought attention to these issues, especially following the deaths of women like Sandra Bland, Alexia Christian, Mya Hall, and Natasha McKenna.

In her book “#SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence,” Crenshaw discusses the anguish of families who have lost loved ones to police violence. Bland’s death, along with those of Breonna Taylor and Massey, highlights the ongoing dangers Black women face with law enforcement and raises questions about how public safety is managed.

Massey’s family is now calling for police reform, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which aims to address police misconduct and use of force but has yet to pass Congress. Her father has urged lawmakers to act to prevent others from experiencing similar grief: “The only time I’m going to see my baby again is when I leave this world. I don’t want anyone else in the United States to join this league. Every member of Congress needs to vote today so that no one else has to go through what we’re going through.”