Louisville activists join day of mourning for Illinois woman killed by police

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Louisville activists joined communities across the country on Sunday for a national day of mourning for a Springfield, Illinois, woman who was killed by police in her own home.

Sonya Massey, 36, was killed July 6 after she called the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office because she feared there might be an intruder outside.

Body camera video shows the moments before former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson shot her in the face.

In the video, the two police officers who responded to the call come into Massey’s house. At one point, Massey goes into the kitchen and grabs a pot of water from the stove. As the officers walk away, she asks where they are going.

When Grayson tells her he is moving away from the water, she says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

“You shouldn’t fucking do that. I swear to God, I’ll fucking shoot you in the face,” Grayson says.

Then Grayson draws his gun and yells at her to drop the pot.

Massey apologizes and ducks. Grayson continues to yell for her to drop it as he fires three shots.

“It’s really sad what happened to Sonya. It’s sad and it shouldn’t have happened,” said Rosie Henderson, who attended a rally outside City Hall honoring Massey. “We’re tired of being out here and we’re tired of naming names.”

“She said, ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,’ and quoted scriptures. That can cost your life if you’re a person of color,” said Antonio Brown. “It’s beyond sad.”

For many, Sonya’s death comes as an immediate shock, as it bears similarities to the police killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020.

“Breonna Taylor and our sister Sonya, there is no coincidence,” Brown said. “Both were innocent and were killed in their own homes. One called the police for help. We are used to seeing this too often.”

With the general election coming up in November, Massey’s death sparked a movement across the country to turn to local politicians for change.

“Go vote, then we will really see it and it will really make a difference,” said Bruce Sweeney. “Don’t think your vote doesn’t count. Every vote counts.”

Part of the nationwide demonstrations were in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill to create a federal registry of police officers and their records.

Massey’s family has questioned how Grayson was hired given his background. Grayson had worked for six agencies since 2020 and had two drunken driving cases on his record.

Grayson is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of authority. He has pleaded not guilty.

Participants at Sunday’s rally discussed the importance of police reform to change the way officers respond to calls from mental health professionals, such as with LMPD’s Crisis Call Diversion program.

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