Illinois

Sonya Massey death: Family claims Illinois cops tried to cover up killing by calling it suicide, ‘They tried to…’

Published

2 years ago

July 25, 2024

Sonya Massey death: Family claims Illinois cops tried to cover up killing by calling it suicide, ‘They tried to…’

The family of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was shot dead by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy in her house this month, has accused police of initially trying to cover up the killing. Massey was gunned down on July 6 by Sean Grayson, who had visited her house with another deputy after she called 911 to report a prowler. The shooting, caught on body camera and released, sparked widespread outrage.

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, second from left, talks with former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson inside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP)(AP)

The Guardian obtained police audio that features someone at the scene, possibly a deputy, saying Massey’s wound was “self-inflicted.” The family said at a press conference that police initially told her loved ones that she had either died by suicide or was killed by an intruder.

The body camera video shows deputies initially having a seemingly normal conversation with Masset. However, the situation turned deadly when Grayson asked Massey to drop a pot of hot water, and then fatally shot her in the face. Prosecutors believe Massey did not pose a threat to the deputy.

‘How do you get that confused?’

“They tried to make me believe that a neighbor had did it,” said Jimmie Crawford Jr, Massey’s former partner who is the father of one of her children. He added that law enforcement told nurses at the hospital Massey had been taken to that she had “killed herself.” “How do you get that confused?” Crawford Jr added.

“They said it was being investigated, then they said they told the physicians at the hospital she had committed suicide—and then they revised it,” Massey’s mother, Donna, said, stressing the importance of an investigation.

“We’re going to get justice for sure. I know. We are for sure,” she added. Donna is set to meet with vice president Kamala Harris, and has already visited Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois. Joe Biden has extended his condolences and expressed his anger.

The family said law enforcement started classifying Massey’s death as a police killing only after a doctor said it was a homicide. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the victim’s family, said that an investigation has been launched by the US Department of Justice. The DoJ told The Guardian that it “is aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death of Ms Sonya Massey and extends condolences to her family and loved ones. The department will continue to track the criminal case opened by the Sangamon county state’s attorney.”

Sonya Massey’s son breaks silence

The teenage son of Massey has broken his silence days after the incident. Malachi Hill-Massey, 17, told CBS News that the 36-year-old was “a good mother” and was “very smart and always helped everybody but herself.” “Just a ball of love, honestly, to me. She cooked me the best food. I love her food, honestly,” Malachi said.

“She’s just the most loving person ever. I don’t know. That’s the person that made me just feel so loved,” he said, adding that he just could not bring himself to see the video of the shooting. “I don’t have any words for this,” he said.

Grayson has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, and faces life in prison if convicted of murder. He is now at the Menard County Detention Facility, as per records.

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Illinois

Storms bring damaging winds and heavy rains to central Illinois

Published

2 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Storms bring damaging winds and heavy rains to central Illinois

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted central Illinois on Wednesday bringing damaging wind gusts and very heavy rain. Our area was sparred from the worst of the tornadoes, but areas south of I-72 were not so fortunate with damage to homes and injuries reported.

An outflow boundary from our morning storms struggled to get any further north than highway 136, which was about 30 miles south of what was anticipated early this morning. This kept the risk of strong tornadoes just south of our local region, though we still had plenty of rain and instances of large hail and gusty winds roll through central Illinois.

The worst of the wind came with the storms in the morning. As the severe storms moved through the area they produced measured gust of 60-70 mph with localized gusts estimated to be around 80 mph. The winds resulted in tree, powerline, and structural damage from Knox through McLean County.

Storm Reports

Galesburg – Tree and power line damage
Williamsfield – Roof partially torn off building
Princeville – Tree damage
Dunlap – 60 mph wind gust
Bellevue – 60 mph wind gust
Germantown Hills – Trees down
Roanoke – 60 mph wind gust
El Paso – Power poles snapped
El Paso – Multiple semis and campers rolled on I-39
Gidley – 70 mph wind gust
Chenoa – Semi rolled on I-55

Dunlap – 1.0″ size hail
Metamora – 1.0″ size hail
Armington – 1.0″ size hail

Rain reports

West Peoria – 4.37″
Lexington – 4.00″
West Peoria – 3.98″
Washington – 3.97″
East Peoria – 3.47″
Dunlap – 3.40″
Goodfield – 2.47″
Towanda – 2.43″
Peoria (PIA) – 2.24″
Lewistown – 2.20″
Galesburg – 1.84″
Chillicothe – 1.52″
Pontiac – 1.27″

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Illinois

Thousands of Illinois residents report power outages amid storms

Published

12 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Press Room

Thousands of Illinois residents report power outages amid storms

More than 30,000 Illinois residents reported power outages Wednesday morning amid severe storms and destructive winds.

The National Weather Service forecast two rounds of severe weather throughout the day, issuing a tornado watch early Wednesday morning across central Illinois.