Updated as of 2/12/2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET
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Today would have been Sonya Massey’s 37th birthday. Instead of celebrating with cake and balloons, her family is reminded of the tragedy that claimed her life last year. Still, some justice has been served since her tragic death.
Tuesday night, Sangamon County, Ill. officials agreed with Massey’s family and attorneys to pay a $10 million settlement. According to civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the settlement was 50 percent of the sheriff’s office annual budget.
In a virtual press conference Wednesday, Crump said the decision was “only the first step in the journey for justice.”
That sheriff’s office was under fire after the July 6, 2024 incident when deputies responded to a call in Springfield, according to Illinois State Police. The home belonged to that of Ms. Massey. Crump said in a prior statement the police were called by Massey who was concerned about a potential intruder in her home.
According to body camera footage, when officers arrived, they got into a dispute with Massey over a pot of boiling water she was holding. When she ducked behind her kitchen counter, causing the water to splash on the floor, Deputy Sean Grayson fired five shots at her, one of which struck her fatally, per the footage.
She was taken to HSHS St. John’s Hospital where she died later, police said. It was speculated later that she may have been under mental distress.
Another form of justice served beyond the settlement was the arrest of Grayson following the incident. The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office indicted him on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, according to a statement from Crump. The sheriff’s office also said Grayson was terminated from the department after failing to “act as trained or in accordance with our standards.”
Grayson remains behind bars and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The final act was a move by the U.S. Department of Justice last month to work with Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office following an probe into the violation of Massey’s rights under federal anti-discrimination law, CNN reports. Part of the deal includes a promise to implement more training and use-of-force data reporting. The county is also required to add de-escalation training for deputies when handling people with behavioral health disabilities, per the DOJ.
Though these actions show more progress than we’ve seen in the aftermath of other police shootings, Massey’s family wants to see justice served all the way.
“We want civil accountability, criminal culpability and we want legislative changes,” Crump said at the conference. “We want the laws to prevent something like this from happening again.”
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