Video of police officer killing black woman sparks emotion

Photo: Illinois State Police via Associated Press After midnight on July 6, Sonia Massey called the police because she suspected an attempted break-in at her home.

Nicholas Roll – Agence France-Presse in Washington

Published yesterday at 4:16 p.m.

• United States

The United States is still facing an episode of violence involving law enforcement: a black woman was shot dead by a white police officer in Illinois, according to body camera footage of the officer, who has been charged with murder.

Attorney Ben Crump, who is heavily involved in cases of police violence against black people and who represents the family of the victim, Sonya Massey, called the killing “senseless” on Tuesday.

At a news conference, he also said that police initially tried to downplay their responsibility, according to the family, and pointed the finger at the neighborhood.

According to video released Monday by Illinois State Police, Ms. Massey, 36, was unarmed when the incident occurred on July 6 in Springfield.

In a country where cases of black and ethnic people killed by white police officers often make headlines, President Joe Biden responded Monday by saying in a statement that the young woman “should still be alive.”

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On July 6, Ms. Massey called the police after midnight because she suspected someone was breaking into her home, according to the Illinois County Sheriff’s Office. Sangamon.

Inside, the two officers asked him to turn off a pot of water that was boiling on the stove “to prevent a fire,” according to the video footage.

She grabbed the pot and one of the officers stepped back. When the woman asked him why, the policeman laughingly said he wanted to “get away from her boiling water.”

“Unjustifiable”

Sonya Massey reprimanded him for this attitude, calmly saying twice: “Oh, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. »

“You shouldn't. I swear to God I’m shooting you in the fucking head,” one of the police officers responded, pulling out his gun.

The woman crouched behind a counter , the saucepan in your hands. The police then shouted at him: “drop the fucking pan”, and shots rang out.

They then explained that they were afraid of being sprayed with water boiling.

One of them, Sean Grayson, was charged with intentional homicide.

Local sheriff Jack Campbell called the decision to open fire “unjustifiable”: the officer “had other options,” he said.

“When we call for help, all of us as Americans — no matter who we are or wherever we live — should be able to do so without fearing for our lives,” the president said. Biden in his statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate, plans to speak with the victim's family, according to Ben Crump, who said authorities promised a “fair and transparent” investigation.

In September 2023, experts commissioned by the UN affirmed that there was “systemic and deeply rooted racism” against the black community within the American police and judicial systems, a “legacy of slavery”.

This group of experts was created after the death in 2020 of African-American George Floyd, killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota — a tragedy which triggered a immense wave of demonstrations in the United States.

In this country where police services are decentralized and which has more weapons in circulation than inhabitants, there is no There is no single training course for police officers.