police shooting
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The state police of Illinois have filed charges against a now-former sheriff’s deputy who killed a Black woman in her own home after she called law enforcement about suspicious activity near her home.
On Wednesday (July 17), a grand jury in Sangamon County, Illinois, returned a five-count indictment against a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who reportedly shot and killed a Black woman, Sonya Massey (pictured above), who called police to her home about an intruder.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced the charges against former Deputy John Grayson, which include first-degree murder, official misconduct, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Milhiser said that the investigation by the Illinois State Police “did not support a finding that (Grayson) was justified in his use of deadly force.”
This investigation also included the body camera footage from the night of July 6, when Massey called police to her home on the 2800 block in Springfield at 1 a.m. Gunfire was reported at the address at 1:21 a.m..
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office had not offered any comment before the charges were announced, deferring to the Illinois State Police. Massey’s family and community activists held protests last week demanding that the body camera footage be released.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, further writing: “In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community.” Grayson was terminated shortly after the incident. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon (July 18). Prosecutors are seeking to detain him per the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Attorney Ben Crump, notable for representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, is representing the Massey family in the case. “This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy,” Crump said in a statement. “We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur.”
The attorney also said in the statement released on Wednesday that Grayson allegedly shot the 36-year-old woman in the face. Massey’s family viewed the body camera footage from that night in private that evening. The funeral for Massey will be held on Friday (July 19).
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Photo: Facebook/Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office
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Source: screenshot / mississippifreepress
A Mississippi boy was shot in the chest by a police officer who responded to a 911 call he made to help his mother in a domestic dispute.
On May 20, Aderrien Murry was directed by his mother, Nakala, to call 911 after the father of one of his siblings came home “irate” at 4 a.m. Indianola Police Department officer Greg Capers arrived on the scene and “had his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside.” Murry then said her son Aderrien complied and was shot coming around the corner from his room into the living room.
According to NewsOne, “Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Murry said. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot. He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’”
Nakala Murry acted swiftly, pressing her hand on Aderrien’s wound as “he sang gospel songs and prayed while bleeding out.” The boy was then rushed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center of Jackson where he was given a chest tube and placed on a ventilator. Aderrien had suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver as a result of the shooting. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday (May 24).
Officer Capers was placed on paid administrative leave by the Indianola Board of Aldermen. The family attorney for the Murrrys, Carlos Moore, blasted the decision. “Aderrien came within an inch of losing his life,” Moore said to CNN. “It’s not OK for a cop to do this and get away with this. The mother asked Aderrien to call the police on her daughter’s father. He walked out of his room as directed by the police and he got shot.” Nakala Murry said that “no one came to the hospital from the police station” and that she hadn’t spoken to any police investigators.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation released a statement over the weekend saying that it was “currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence,” planning to release its findings to the state attorney general. They refused to offer further information to the press. “Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be made.”
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