By Kanishka Singh
(Reuters) – The family of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by police in Illinois in July 2024, will receive $10 million as part of a settlement with officials from Sangamon County, the attorney representing the family said on Wednesday.
Massey, 36, was killed after Sean Grayson, a white sheriff’s deputy, fired three shots at Massey, striking her once in the face during a call for help at her home, according to court documents.
“The $10 million settlement for Sonya Massey’s family is a step toward justice, but accountability can’t stop here. A cop with a troubled past shouldn’t have been hired, let alone taken Sonya’s life. Criminal and legislative action must follow,” the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said in a post on X.
Grayson was dismissed from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in July.
The Illinois State Police released video in July of Grayson killing Massey in her home, revealing details of a shooting some likened to high-profile cases in which law enforcement has used excessive force on Black Americans.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell quit last August after Grayson was fired and charged with murder in relation to Massey’s killing.
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to murder. He remains in jail, awaiting trial on murder charges, according to an ABC News affiliate.
Massey, a mother of two teenagers, had called police about a suspected intruder in her Springfield home, according to Crump.
Her death was the latest in a running list of high-profile police killings of Black people, including George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Roger Fortson, whom Crump has also represented.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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