Vigils planned across the nation for Sonya Massey, Black woman shot in face by police

As the nation reacts to the gruesome video of a sheriff's deputy shooting Sonya Massey in the face, vigils have been planned around the country this weekend.

Activists have declared Sunday a National Day of Mourning for Massey, with gatherings planned in New York, Los Angeles and Massey's home of Springfield, Illinois.

"I needed a community hug," said Tykebrean Cheshier, who organized a vigil for Massey in Kansas City on Friday. "Seeing that video at home by myself, with my husband, I can cry and sit there and be upset, but I would like to be with people that also can relate and have seen the video as well, and that share these same experiences with me."

Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, had called 911 to report a possible intruder. She was standing with two deputies in her Springfield, home and holding a pot of boiling water when Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean P. Grayson shot her in the head on July 6.

The shooting occurred as another deputy was clearing the house. Grayson began "aggressively yelling" at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water she had removed from her stove, although he had given her permission to do so.

Despite being in another room, Grayson drew his weapon and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. According to documents, Massey put her hands in the air, said "I'm sorry" and ducked for cover.

Timeline:Sonya Massey called police for help, 30 minutes later she was shot in the face: Timeline

An autopsy released Friday confirmed she was killed by a bullet that entered under her left eye.

Grayson has been charged with murder and pleaded not guilty.

The harrowing details of the killing have sparked national outrage. The chaotic and sometimes horrifying body camera video released to the public earlier this week has brought on a federal investigation and calls for police reform.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at Massey's funeral that the video would "shock the conscience of America like the pictures of Emmett Till after he was lynched." The 1955 lynching of the 14-year-old in Mississippi helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement.

Crump added that the video would garner similar reactions to Laquan McDonald, who was shot by police 16 times in the back in Chicago in 2014, and George Floyd, who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest in 2020.

"It is that senseless, that unnecessary, that unjustifiable, that unconstitutional," Crump said. "This video is tragic in every sense."

'We're waiting on change'

About 50 people showed up Friday to honor Massey in Kansas City and share a demand for justice for the life lost. Cheshier said she's glad Grayson has been charged in this case, but believes it's only because body camera footage captured his unjustified actions. She also hopes the sheriff's department will be investigated for hiring him given his past, which included DUI charges.

Cheshier said as a Black woman and mother of a Black daughter, her mental health is impacted each time she hears about a story like Breonna Taylor's or Massey's, both fatally shot by police in their homes. She said she feels she can no longer call police for help if she has a crisis or thinks there's an intruder.

"I wonder if Sonya watched Breonna Taylor's trial and thought, 'Man, that could never be me,' or, 'I hope this is never me,' and then four years later, she's the next one," Cheshier said. "I have no one to call because I'm scared. What if I say the wrong thing to that person? What if their day is bad and they decide to take it out on me?"

Cheshier, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom, has been going to rallies and vigils for Black people killed by police since Alton Sterling was killed just after she turned 18. This time, she felt she needed to mobilize her own community to help people feel better.

"We're waiting on change and hoping for one day things would get better," Cheshier said.

Vigils planned across the country

Rallies as part of the National Day of Mourning are planned in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Washington, D.C., among other places on Sunday. In Springfield, where Massey lived, a rally is planned at Comer Cox Park, 301 S. Martin Luther King Dr., at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, along with Massey family members, will participate in a rally in Chicago Tuesday evening, Crump said.

Some communities have already begun hosting vigils for Massey, according to local news reports. Community members gathered in Kansas City; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Wilmington, North Carolina, on Friday.

"Murdering unarmed citizens is a crime against humanity,” Sonya Patrick, the chairman of Wilmington's Black Lives Matter chapter and the region’s Black Leadership Caucus, said at the vigil, according to the Port City Daily.

“We are sick and tired of marching for simple livelihood/safety that should have been given to us since birth.”

Kamala Harris speaks with Massey's family

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Massey's family members in a phone call on Friday, her office said.

“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris said in a statement. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. Doug (Emhoff) and I send strength and prayers to Sonya’s family and friends, and we join them in grieving her senseless death.”

Massey's father, James Wilburn, told NBC News that Harris gave the family her condolences, "and she let us know that she is with us 100%, that this senseless killing must stop.”

“It’s made me feel a lot better today,” Wilburn said.

Shadia Massey, Sonya Massey's cousin, told the outlet that Harris' call "broke every last one of us down."

"Out of all the phone calls, all the thousands and thousands of messages, and phone calls and inboxes, this one here really meant the world to our family," Shadia Massey said.

Contributing: Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY; Steven Spearie, The Springfield State Journal- Register