On Monday 22 July 2024, a horrific episode unfolded. Bodycam footage showing Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman from Illinois, being shot three times inside her home by two police officers was made available to the public. The murder in question happened just a few weeks prior, on 6 July.

According to The Guardian, on the night of the incident, Massey, who her daughter confirmed was paranoid-schizophrenic, had called the police because she believed someone was trying to break into her home.

Ultimately, Illinois police later decided to release the bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of Massey, unveiling the disturbing events leading up to her death.

The police officer in question, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, has been dismissed from the police force and charged with murder and official misconduct. Grayson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently being held without bond.

The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday 6 July when officers followed Massey inside her home as she searched for her identification. In the video, Grayson gestures towards a pot on a lit stove and says: “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.” Massey then walks to the stove to remove the pot, and she and the police officer appear to laugh over the ‘steaming hot water’ before she says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson is then heard exclaiming “You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” before drawing his pistol and shouting for her to “drop the pot.” “OK, I’m sorry,”  Massey is heard replying before getting shot in the head by Grayson.

The footage is extremely harrowing. Shortly after Massey is shot, Grayson states “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot f*cking boiling water to the f*cking face.” The video also captures the charged officer telling his partner that Massey would not need medical help. As the other deputy tries to get a medical kit, Grayson proclaims: “She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot.”

It’s safe to say that netizens online were in complete shock, with even Beyoncé’s sister,  Solange Knowles, chiming in 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 having those words meant anything when you’re a Black woman in this country? 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.”

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 black and woman in this country

when do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen,…

— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) July 23, 2024

Another user wrote: “The Sonya Massey video is insane. The sudden turn to violence feels incomprehensible, if not for how often we see the police wield their power like this. Hope that cop rots. Death is too good for him.”

https://twitter.com/zachsilberberg/status/1815744241210986593

Other people online have also pointed out the profound unfairness of the bodycam footage, drawing comparison to the case of George Floyd—whose own murder at the hands of a white police officer highlighted the importance of being able to access bodycam videos. In the video Massey, the victim, is seen placing the pot back in the sink, while appearing unarmed, and complying with the officer’s command. Despite this, she ends up being shot. This troubling discrepancy between her visible compliance and the officer’s response has ignited widespread outrage and criticism online, echoing concerns about the disproportionate use of force observed in cases like George Floyd’s.

@.kayla_rose_

#foryoupage #foryou #fyp #fy

♬ original sound - 𝓚𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓪 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮

The same day that the bodycam footage was released, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed that Grayson was not justified in his use of force.

In a statement, President Joe Biden said that he was “heartbroken” for Massey’s family and that her death was a reminder “that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”

Vice President Kamala Harris called on Congress to pass police reforms, posting on X: “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.”

Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.

The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.

President Biden and I call on Congress to pass the…

— Vice President Kamala Harris Archived (@VP46Archive) July 23, 2024

Personal injury lawyer Benjamin Crump also told the BBC: “The footage would shock the conscience of America.”

According to Statista, the trend of fatal police shootings in the US appears to be on the rise. As of May 2024, a total of 469 civilians had been shot, including 98 Black individuals. In 2023, there were 1,163 fatal police shootings. Additionally, the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was significantly higher than for any other ethnicity, averaging 6.1 fatal shootings per million people per year from 2015 to May 2024.