The shocking body camera footage of Sonya Massey’s tragic police murder has moved several public figures to speak out, including Cardi B, Solange, and President Joe Biden.
Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two from Springfield, Illinois, was fatally shot on July 6 by former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, 30, who is white.
Massey called police before 1 a.m. to report a possible intruder in her home after a black SUV with broken windows was spotted in her driveway. Once the police were inside, the footage showed that Massey was instructed by Grayson to attend to a pot of boiling water on the stove to avoid causing a hazard.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said casually in the kitchen while the officers stood in the living room.
Grayson appeared to feel threatened by her choice of words and shot Sonya Massey in the head. He then discouraged his fellow deputy to avoid grabbing a medical kit, saying that “there’s nothing you can do” for the headshot wound Massey suffered.
Following the release of the body cam footage on Monday, Solange, Cardi, and Biden responded to the incident with statements of their own.
“That video of Sonia Massey is so disturbing. It’s so disturbing from beginning to end,” said Cardi, 31, during an X Space on Tuesday afternoon while pointing out Grayson’s reported history of DUIs, suggesting that the leniency may have made him feel invincible.“When you give somebody, especially a cop, so many chances like that to get their job back, that’s why when he shot her, he just knew that nobody was gonna tell him nothing.”
She continued, “I swear to God, when the trial starts I don’t wanna hear an apology from him. I don’t wanna hear, like, ‘Ever since I killed Sonya, I have had nightmares, I haven’t been able to sleep at night.’ I don’t wanna hear none of that sh*t when that trial comes, 'cause motherf*cker, we heard what you called her. You called her a bitch, you left her there to die, and you said it yourself.”
Cardi concluded that it's unlikely anyone reprimanded Grayson for shooting her “over some f*cking water.”
“That’s why when the cops mistreat a family member, when a cop mistreats your friend, when a cop takes somebody’s life away, don’t ever think that you’re exaggerating,” Cardi said."Fight to the end, fight for the justice, because they really think that they’re gonna get away with it.”
Solange Knowles, who is usually a more elusive figure on social media, emerged on Tuesday morning, writing on X, “First words Sonya Massey said at her front door were ‘don’t hurt me.’ She was told ‘why would we hurt you, you called us.’”
“When have those words meant anything when your [sic] black and woman in this country,” the 38-year-old singer continued. “When do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen, in your bedroom, with your babies, or on your lawn? What is ‘reassurance,’ in this place ?”
“Rest in power Sonya Massey, and an abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey,” Solange added.
Meek Mill reposted an X user who wrote, "She said 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus' & got shot in the face for it, my brain can not process that."
The Philly rapper, 37, tweeted, "She didn’t even have that pot in her hand if you slow it down!"
Dvsn also weighed in on X and Instagram. "That Sonya Massey video really hurt to watch… that man claiming she 'CAME at him with boiling water' just made me think what if there was no body cam?… and how many times they’ve gotten away with these stories when it comes to us… smh. Hurts man," read a post on the R&B duo's page.
J. Cole's manager Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad wrote on X, "Man that video of Sonya Massey just broke my heart man. You can’t even call the cops to your own home to help you, sh*t is f*cking scary. I can’t even imagine how her family is dealing with this right now."
Former NBA star Nick Young, 39, tweeted, "So the police shot and killed an 36 yr old black lady holding a pot bcuz she said I rebuke you in Jesus name..and we out here playing for USA."
President Joe Biden shared a statement on Monday offering his condolences to Massey’s children and family, and calling for justice after “this unthinkable and senseless loss.”
“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” wrote Biden, 81. “Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
“While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving,” the president added. “Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake.”
According to the Associated Press, Grayson was fired last week and is being held at Sangamon County Jail without bond. He pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
If convicted, Grayson faces several prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, 6 to 30 years for battery, and 2 to 5 years for misconduct.
The Illinois Times reports that Grayson was hit with two misdemeanor DUI convictions in 2015 and 2016. The former deputy also held brief stints at five different Illinois police departments since 2021. Grayson was hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May 2023.
Massey’s father James Wilburn told Gayle King on CBS Mornings that his family was “misled” and were not initially told a deputy was responsible for his daughter’s untimely death.
“We were under the impression that she was killed by the intruder or some other person from the street or something. And they just went in there and found her dead body,” said Wilburn on Tuesday. He added that it was his brother who informed him that officers were involved.
“Then there was a story that this was a self-inflicted gunshot,” Wilburn continued. “So I think the cover-up started just right after it happened. Thank God for the body camera footage. It’s probably the most horrible and heartwrenching thing that we've ever seen in our lives. But if it were not for the body cam footage, we would not have known that this occurred.”
