Additional Coverage:
Vice President Harris had a conversation on Friday with relatives of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by police in her own home earlier in the month. According to a Harris spokesperson, the Vice President extended deep sympathies to Massey’s family. NBC News initially reported the call, with a family member recounting Harris’s expression of unwavering support and condolences.
Sonya Massey, 36, had contacted emergency services to report a suspicious individual lurking near her Springfield, Illinois residence. Although officers responded and surveyed the area, they did not encounter any prowler.
Subsequently released bodycam footage from the Illinois State Police revealed that Deputy Sean Grayson of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, who has been dismissed since the incident, fatally shot Massey three times. The autopsy results, also made public on Friday, confirmed her death was due to a head gunshot wound.
The video captured a heated exchange where Massey appears to be removing a pot of water from her stove and Grayson aggressively threatens her. The deputy, who is white, has entered a not guilty plea to charges including first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, as reported by The Associated Press.
Earlier in the week, Harris issued a statement lamenting Massey’s tragic and needless death, emphasizing that Massey had every right to feel secure in her home. President Biden also made a statement, demanding justice for Massey’s family and repeating his urging for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, aimed at substantial police reforms, inspired by the 2020 police killing of George Floyd that sparked national protests.