SHOREWOOD — The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that an ongoing project to reconstruct the Interstate 55 interchange at Illinois 59, in Joliet and Shorewood, will require a full closure of the U.S. 52 (Jefferson Street) ramp to southbound I-55, weather permitting, from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.

During that time, a detour will direct motorist to Illinois 59 to access southbound I-55.

The press release outlined how the $59.3 million project will convert the existing partial-access interchange at I-55 and Illinois 59 into a full-access, diverging-diamond interchange. East Frontage Road will be relocated and reconstructed to provide necessary distance from the interchange and auxiliary lanes will be added to I-55 between the Illinois 59 and U.S. 52 interchanges to improve safety by better accommodating vehicles entering and leaving the interstate.

The Illinois 59 intersection with Seil Road will be improved and modernized. Pedestrian access will be built across I-55, with the addition of new sidewalks and a multiuse path to connect with the local system of trails. New lighting and modernized traffic signals will be installed. Noise and retaining walls will be built along I-55.

The project is anticipated to be completed in November.

Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot in the face by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy after she called 911 for assistance, had reached out to emergency services at least twice in the days leading up to her death on July 6, according to newly released records.
One of the calls came from her mother, Donna Massey, who expressed concern to the dispatcher, saying, “I don’t want you guys to hurt her,” and explained that her daughter feared the police.She specifically requested that no officer who might be “prejudiced” be sent, reported AP.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating whether the deputies who responded to the call about a suspected prowler at Massey’s home were aware of her mental health history. Body-worn camera footage released last week suggests that this information was not communicated to the officers. In the video, former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who shot Massey, is heard asking dispatch two minutes after the shooting if there was any record of previous calls indicating she had mental health issues.
Jeff Wilhite, spokesperson for Sheriff Jack Campbell, mentioned that while such information is passed along if known, there is no automatic mechanism to ensure it is relayed. “The dispatcher would have to know ‘yes, it’s the same person’ and ‘yes, it’s the same address,'” Wilhite explained.
Another 911 call from July 4, released in response to public records requests, involved an unnamed caller reporting that someone was trying to harm them, only to disconnect after stating, “This must not be the right number.” Officials are unsure if Massey made this call.
Grayson, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct for the shooting death of 36-year-old Massey. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond.
The body-cam footage reveals that after Grayson and another deputy arrived at Massey’s home just before 1 a.m. on July 6, she appeared confused, repeatedly asking, “Please God” and “Don’t hurt me.” Inside her home, she struggled to find her ID and asked for her Bible. When she suddenly said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” while holding a pot of water, Grayson drew his gun and fired three shots, one of which struck her below the left eye.
Massey’s family has stated that she had a history of mental health struggles and had recently sought treatment. Her 17-year-old son, Malachi Hill Massey, shared that his mother had checked into a 30-day inpatient treatment program in the St. Louis area at the start of July, only to return two days later.
On July 4, at 9:27 p.m., a 911 caller from Massey’s address reported that “somebody’s trying to hurt me.” When pressed for more information, the caller said, “Never mind,” and disconnected. Later that morning, Donna Massey called 911, describing her daughter’s paranoid behavior and emphasizing that she was not dangerous but had become increasingly fearful and distressed.
Springfield police responded to the call and found that Massey did not want to speak to medical professionals but was checked by emergency medical technicians. Massey herself later called to report a neighbor hitting her with a brick, leading a sheriff’s deputy to meet her at a hospital. The deputy noted that she appeared to be experiencing mental health issues and was seeking treatment for minor injuries. Massey mentioned she had recently been released from a mental health facility and claimed police had tried to run her off the road earlier that day.
Twelve hours after this incident, Grayson and another deputy responded to the July 6 call, where body-cam footage shows them noticing the broken windows on Massey’s SUV. Grayson questioned her about the vehicle, and when she denied owning it, he asked if she was “doing all right mentally,” to which she replied, “Yes, I took my medicine.”
Minutes later, after the shooting, Grayson radioed in to ask if there was any call history indicating Massey had mental health issues. The response is not heard, but Grayson is later heard saying, “That would explain a lot.”

CHICAGO – Former President Donald Trump was questioned about his support for police immunity in connection with the Sonya Massey murder case during the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago.

Massey, 36, was an unarmed Black woman who was fatally shot inside her Springfield home on July 6 after calling 911 for a possible intruder.

Former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson is accused of fatally shooting Massey as she was moving a pot of hot water off of her stove. 

He is now charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct and is currently being held in the Sangamon County Jail, the Associated Press reports. 

Sonya Massey murder: Illinois deputy allegedly shot woman in face after ordering her to move pot of water

Massey’s death has sparked outrage across the state of Illinois and has prompted many calls for justice, including in Chicago. 

On Wednesday, Trump was asked by Semafor politics reporter Kadia Goba about immunity for Grayson.

This follows Trump’s claim that, if elected, police officers could be immune from prosecution.

Here is a breakdown of the conversation: 

• Goba: “So, Sonya Massey, someone from Illinois, an unarmed Black woman, was shot the other day in her home by a deputy sheriff. The deputy has since been charged with murder. You said police would get immunity from prosecution if you win. Why should someone like that officer have immunity in your opinion?”
• Trump: “Immunity? I don’t know the exact case, but I saw something and it didn’t… it didn’t look good to me. Are you talking with the water, right?”
• Goba: “Police unions are not backing this person either.”
• Trump: “Are they going to be charging the officer? I guess they’re charging the officer?”
• Goba: “So why should he receive immunity?”
• Trump: “Well he might not. I mean it depends. It depends on what happens. I’m talking about people that are, much different cases than that. We need people to protect ourselves. By the way, in Chicago, as an example, a few weeks ago, July 4th weekend, we had 117 shootings and 17 deaths. Nobody wants that… We need to have our police officers have their respect and dignity back. In this particular case, I saw something that didn’t look good to me. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.”
• Goba: “So, can you get a little more specific back to the immunity question? Who would make those changes, those distinctions?”
• Trump: “For the most part, for the most part, people are protected by their unions, by their police unions or by their police departments. But I’m saying if I felt, or if a group of people would feel that somebody was being unfairly prosecuted because the person did a good job… or made a mistake, an innocent mistake. There’s a difference between being a bad person and making an innocent mistake. If somebody made an innocent mistake, I would want to help that person.”
• Goba: “What would those exceptions be?”
• Trump: “You go after somebody and it’s a very close call and it’s very dangerous. And you know… a policeman’s life, and woman, is a very difficult thing because sometimes you have less than a second to make a life and death decision. And sometimes very bad decisions are made. They’re not made from an evil standpoint but they’re made from the standpoint of they made a mistake.”

The conversation then shifts to Trump talking about being prosecuted and saying how he “won the big case” in Florida. 

RELATED: Donald Trump speaks at NABJ convention in Chicago

On Tuesday night, Chicago residents and activists gathered at the New Mt. Pilgrim MB Church to call for action and justice in the case.

Massey’s father is also calling for the resignation of the Sangamon County Sheriff.