Several gather in Charlotte to demand justice for Sonya Massey

Crowds gathered in Uptown Charlotte Sunday outraged over the death of Sonya Massey.

On July 6, Massey called 911 for help and then was shot and killed by a deputy in her home in Illinois.

There’s a push for justice not just in Charlotte, but throughout the country. Across the U.S. Sunday, communities gathered to hold a national day of mourning. Participants hoped events like those on Sunday would produce change, including a harsher punishment for the deputy.

Massey called 911 that day believing someone was breaking into her home. Deputies with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois responded.

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During the response, Massey was shot and killed by a deputy in her own home.

Sean Grayson has been charged with her murder and was fired.

In Charlotte, people gathered in Marshall Park on Sunday afternoon.

“As a mother myself, there is no words to express how I feel,” Shartrese Edwards said. “I’m just brokenhearted.”

As Grayson sits in jail with no bond, questions swirl around his job history. Reportedly, he’s held six law enforcement jobs over the past four years.

Participants at the rally in Marshall Park think that’s because he wasn’t a good officer. After learning about his job history, one organizer said the laws should be changed.

“This officer had six different jobs,” Kass Ottley said. “Once they do something wrong, they can’t go from state to state, city to city and still be police officers.”

Some of the participants from the Marshall Park rally are planning to visit Illinois in the next couple of weeks.

The U.S. Justice Department said it’s looking into the shooting.