'Where is the humanity?' Reacting to release of the Sonya Massey bodycam footage

Ryan Williams, a criminology and criminal justice professor at the University of Illinois Springfield , said he has seen a lot of body-worn camera videos over the last 25 years.

The video put out Monday to the public involving Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy over a pot of boiling water inside of her home on July 6, was "one of the worst," he admitted.

"Maybe it's because of the familiarity of the community and the police department involved," Williams said. "It was really hard to watch. There were parts I had to fast forward through.

"I have more questions than I have answers."

The case has generated international attention and led to a number of protests, including one that drew about 200 people to the Springfield NAACP Building Wednesday afternoon.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both issued statements about Massey Monday.

Sheriff's deputy Sean P. Grayson, 30, of Riverton has been charged with five counts, including first-degree murder , in the shooting of Massey in the in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township. Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, had called 911 because of a possible intruder into her home.

A peace march from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to Comer Cox Park several blocks away attracted about 200 people and was organized by Tiara Standage , who runs a north side social service agency.

The release of the bodycam footage Monday also brought civil rights attorney Ben Crump back to Springfield for a press conference that included several of Massey's family members. Crump, who has been retained by Massey's family, attended Friday's funeral.

Crump, who also filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the Earl Moore Jr. case in Springfield in 2023, said people had "a visceral reaction" to watching the Massey body cam footage.

"It was senseless on every level," Crump said. "There's a narration (by Grayson) to the tragedy. It's troubling."

Like in the shootings of Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor and Pamela Turner, "there was no real accountability," Crump said. "These Black women died, and America has blood on its hands."

Crump recounted that Grayson, on the video as Massey was drawing her last breaths, said "the ****ing b**** was crazy."

"Where is the humanity? Where is the training?" Crump pleaded.

When a reporter asked if Sheriff Jack Campbell, who hired Grayson in May 2023, should resign, Crump said that was up "to the electorate of Sangamon County."

But Massey's father, James Wilburn, sitting in the front row after speaking earlier, popped up and "Yes. A hundred times, yes. He should do it in the next 12 hours."

Campbell, in a statement Monday, said that Massey lost her life "due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision" by Grayson, whose job was terminated Wednesday.

Grayson's was "a tragic decision made by an individual who had the training, tools, and experience to know better," Campbell added. "We are committed to upholding a standard that prevents such tragedies from occurring in the future."

Grayson has worked in law enforcement since August 2020. He was with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office before coming to Springfield in May 2023.

Williams said Blacks are two-and-a-half times more likely to be killed by police, although in Illinois, it is six times more likely.

But the charge of first-degree murder against an officer like Grayson, Williams said, is rarified air.

"It's very rare they end up with charges," he added. "When they end up with even a charge, about half of those, 1%, end up in a conviction and most of those convictions aren't even for what the police officers were charged with."

Crump said like the George Floyd video was a catalyst for the Black community in the 2020 presidential election, the Massey video is going to be "similarly impactful" on the 2024 election.

To view the video, click here .

C ontact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie .

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 'Where is the humanity?' Reacting to release of the Sonya Massey bodycam footage