Solange Reacts to th Fatal Police Shooting of Sonya Massey

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Solange Knowles has reacted to the video of Sonya Massey getting murdered by a Sangamon County, Illinois, officer.

Body-camera footage showing the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who called 911 for help, was released Monday. The footage has led to murder charges against a deputy.

The 36-minute video, released by the Illinois State Police, includes footage from the body-cams of a Sangamon County sheriff deputies who responded to Massey’s house in Springfield after she reported a possible prowler on July 6.

In the video, deputies Sean Grayson and another officer speak calmly with Massey in her home. As Massey turns off a pot of boiling water on the stove, she picks up the pot. The other deputy steps back, saying, “away from your hot steaming water.”

A brief exchange follows, with Massey stating, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” and Grayson responding, “I’ll f**king shoot you in the fing face.” Grayson then pulls out his gun. Massey apologizes and drops to the floor, but Grayson fires, shooting her in the face.

Minutes after the shooting, Grayson is heard telling another law enforcement officer, “She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at (me) with boiling water.”

The video’s release comes about two weeks after the shooting and just days after Grayson was charged. Grayson, 30, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty and was denied pretrial release. He has also been fired.

Hitting X, Solange wrote: “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,’” Solange wrote. “When have those words meant anything when your black and woman in this country.”

She closed with, “rest in power Sonya Massey, and an abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey.”

You can see the full statement below.

The post Solange Reacts to th Fatal Police Shooting of Sonya Massey first appeared on The Source.

The post Solange Reacts to th Fatal Police Shooting of Sonya Massey appeared first on The Source.