Illinois
Sonya Massey: Bodycam footage shows fatal police shooting
Illinois police have released bodycam footage that shows the chaotic moments that led to the fatal shooting of a woman who had called 911 to report a suspected intruder at her home.
The killing of Sonya Massey, 36, over Independence Day weekend has led to criminal charges against one of the officers who responded to her home, and has drawn condemnation from President Joe Biden.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson has been fired from the police force and charged with murder and official misconduct.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Monday, Illinois State Police released bodycam footage that shows the officers shouting at Ms Massey to put down a pot of boiling water as they point their pistols at her.
The incident in the early hours of 6 July began when Ms Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320km) south of Chicago, to report that she believed someone had broken into her property.
Deputies followed her inside when Ms Massey entered her home, and watched as she searched for her identification.
In the video, Mr Grayson sees a pot sitting on a stove, gestures towards it and says, “we don’t need a fire while we’re here”.
Ms Massey walks to the stove to remove the pot. She and Mr Grayson appear to laugh over her pot of “steaming hot water,” before she twice says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” Mr Grayson says. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.
“OK, I’m sorry,” Ms Massey is heard saying before she ducks.
After shooting her, the officer says: “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”
On Monday, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said Mr Grayson was not justified in his use of force on Ms Massey.
In a statement, President Biden said he was “heartbroken” for her family.
“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” he said.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
Lawyers for Ms Massey’s family have commended prosecutors for their swift action against Mr Grayson.
Lawyer Benjamin Crump said the footage “is going to shock the conscience of America”.
“It is that senseless, that unnecessary, that unjustifiable, that unconstitutional,” he said.
The Chicago Bears released a statement on Wednesday after Illinois legislators took a step forward with keeping the team in the state.
Shortly after the bill passed out of a House committee 15-5 and then was passed again by the full House, the Bears said the bill is not enough for them.
“We welcome the progress made on the House’s version of the mega project bill; however, additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project. We support Illinois leaders as they determine the path forward to making the essential changes to the mega project bill and aligning on infrastructure funding,” the team said in a statement.
The vote on Wednesday came after lawmakers spent weeks working to address concerns and criticism that the bill provided incentives to the team to leave Chicago and surrounding potential revenue shortfalls to area schools if the stadium is built in Arlington Heights.
Despite the team’s dissatisfaction, the megaprojects bill, which would allow the Bears to negotiate property tax payments directly with the Village of Arlington Heights, is headed now to the Senate.
A key piece of legislation designed to keep the Chicago Bears’ stadium project in Illinois is being weighed, and Rose Schmidt has details on what’s in it.
That said, the bill’s lead Senate sponsor State Sen. Bill Cunningham told NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern that legislators “feel no pressure to take a vote next week” when the Senate returns on Tuesday.
“We will work this bill like any other bill,” Cunningham said.
Though the team is not satisfied with the deal, it seems Illinois Governor Pritzker is.
“Governor Pritzker has been clear and consistent for years that the Bears should remain in Illinois, and that any legislation needs to protect taxpayers. Throughout the past few months, the Governor’s Office brought team leadership, local officials, and legislative partners to the table to craft a deal around public infrastructure improvements, property tax fairness, and affordability measures. Today is an important step, and the Governor’s Office looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
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