(CTN News) – Ben Crump, a human rights attorney, stated that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an inquiry into the shooting death of black woman Sonya Massey, who was shot inside her house by a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy earlier this month.
Crump said on Tuesday that the matter is now under investigation by the Justice Department, but he claimed he was unsure of the inquiry’s parameters or potential participants. A day after Illinois State Police made the shooting’s body camera video public, the inquiry was launched.
The 36-minute body camera video shows the quickening of the situation that resulted in Massey, 36, being shot inside her Springfield, Illinois, home by former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Officer Sean P. Grayson.
On July 6, Massey contacted 911 to report what she believed to be an intruder, and Grayson and another constable were sent to her home. Grayson screams at Massey in the body camera footage after the latter moves a pot of boiling water from the stove to the washbasin.
Then he yells at her to put down the pot and makes threats to shoot her in the face. In the footage, Massey is seen dodging before Grayson shoots her three times, killing her with a round to the head.
In response to accusations of first-degree murder, aggravated violence, and official misconduct, Grayson, 30, of Riverton, entered a not-guilty plea. He is still being held without bond.
The explicit video, which was posted to the Illinois State Police’s YouTube site, incited fury throughout the country. Authorities from the local, state, and federal levels have offered their thoughts on the fatal incident. It has sparked several rallies, one of which attracted over 200 participants to the Springfield NAACP facility last week.
At a press conference, Crump—a well-known lawyer hired by the Massey family—confirmed that Massey’s parents and her two kids were among those who had a private meeting on Tuesday with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. Open, “but emotional at times,” according to Crump.
The DOJ inquiry is “welcome,” according to Crump
Crump said that, considering the family’s worries over the case, the Department of Justice’s inquiry is “welcome”. Jack Campbell, the sheriff for Sangamon County, said that he would “fully cooperate” and welcome the investigation.
When questioned about the probe, Crump said, “I’ve done a lot of cases all across America and I’ve seen it done in a variety of ways.” “Sometimes, as they did with Breonna Taylor, they simply say they’ll ignore what the local law enforcement does. Other times, like George Floyd, they put boots on the ground, like they did with Tyre Nichols and Ahmaud Arbery.
Thus, we are unaware of the extent. All we know is that Sonya Massey now has a case open for inquiry. We would support them in going further if the family requests it under our supervision.” He continued by saying that Pritzker pledged a fair and open inquiry and that the state would be “justice partners” in it.
As for a civil action, Crump said on Tuesday that he could not rule it out and stated that the legal team will be looking at “every possible legal remedy to get full justice for Sonya Massey.”
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Illinois authorities respond to the video
Following the release of the body camera video on Monday afternoon, local authorities, Illinois politicians, and President Joe Biden referred to the incident as “unthinkable, senseless” as well as “shocking, horrifying, and heartbreaking”.
In a statement, Biden stated that their first wife, Jill Biden, and he “mourn with the rest of the country, and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.”
“Justice is due to Sonya’s family,” Biden said. “I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement on Tuesday that Massey “deserved to be safe” after calling the police for assistance. Massey’s death, according to Harris, was “senseless,” and the video “confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many.”
State Senator Doris Turner, one of the Illinois authorities who voiced her opinion, asked people to unite “to seek justice and do all we can to prevent another black man or woman from being unjustly killed.” The video was deemed “horrific” by State Attorney General Kwame Raoul in a statement on Monday.
“I offer my deepest sympathy to Sonya Massey’s family as they relive a moment no family should experience,” Raoul said. “As the community reacts to the release of the footage, I urge calm as this matter works its way through the criminal justice system.”
Days before the body camera film was made public, Crump said at Massey’s funeral on Friday that the video would “shock the conscience of America like the pictures of Emmett Till after he was lynched.” The 14-year-old’s hanging in Mississippi in 1955 catalyzed the Civil Rights Movement.
Crump said, “The Massey video is going to be “similarly powerful” in the 2024 election, just as the George Floyd video served as a catalyst for the black community in the 2020 presidential election.” “It is that senseless, that unnecessary, that unjustifiable, that unconstitutional,” added Crump. “This video is tragic in every sense.”
The former sheriff’s deputy served four years in six agencies and got two DUIs
Grayson has worked at six different police enforcement organizations during the previous four years, according to online data from the Illinois Police Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
Online records show that Grayson was employed part-time by the Pawnee, Kincaid, and Virden police departments from August 2020 to December 2021. After that, he worked full-time for just over a year at the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, slightly over a year at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and less than a year at the Auburn Police Department.
Macoupin County, about 50 miles southwest of Springfield, has an online record indicating that Grayson was arrested in 2015 and 2016 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Crump claims that James Wilburn, Massey’s father, expressed confusion at Grayson’s hiring by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in 2023. Wilburn continued by saying that Grayson’s record, including the two DUIs, should have been known to the department and questioned “if they did any kind of investigation.”
Source: Usatoday
