The release of shocking body camera footage showing the tragic police murder of Sonya Massey has prompted a strong reaction from public figures including Cardi B, Solange, and President Joe Biden. Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two from Springfield, Illinois, was fatally shot on July 6 by former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, a 30-year-old white officer.
The incident began when Massey called the police just before 1 a.m. to report a potential intruder after noticing a black SUV with broken windows in her driveway. When officers arrived, Grayson instructed Massey to attend to a pot of boiling water on her stove to prevent a hazard. However, the situation quickly escalated.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said casually in the kitchen while officers stood in the living room. Grayson appeared to feel threatened by her words and shot Massey in the head. He then discouraged his fellow deputy from grabbing a medical kit, stating, “There’s nothing you can do” for the headshot wound Massey suffered.
Following the release of the footage on Monday, several celebrities and public figures voiced their outrage and sadness.
Cardi B, during an X Space discussion on Tuesday, expressed her distress over the incident. “That video of Sonya Massey is so disturbing. It’s so disturbing from beginning to end,” said Cardi, highlighting Grayson’s reported history of DUIs and suggesting that leniency might have made him feel untouchable. “When you give somebody, especially a cop, so many chances like that to get their job back, that’s why when he shot her, he just knew that nobody was gonna tell him nothing.”
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Cardi continued, “I swear to God, when the trial starts I don’t wanna hear an apology from him. I don’t wanna hear, like, ‘Ever since I killed Sonya, I have had nightmares, I haven’t been able to sleep at night.’ I don’t wanna hear none of that shit when that trial comes, ’cause motherfucker, we heard what you called her. You called her a bitch, you left her there to die, and you said it yourself.” She emphasized the importance of fighting for justice, stating, “Fight to the end, fight for the justice, because they really think that they’re gonna get away with it.”
Solange Knowles, typically more reserved on social media, also spoke out. She wrote on X, “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 continued, “When have those words meant anything when you’re Black and a woman in this country? When do those words protect you from not being murdered in your kitchen, in your bedroom, with your babies, or on your lawn? What is ‘reassurance,’ in this place?” She concluded with, “Rest in power Sonya Massey, and an abundance of love and power to Sonya’s family on this journey.”
Meek Mill echoed the sentiments on X, reposting a user who wrote, “She said ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus’ & got shot in the face for it, my brain cannot process that.” The rapper added, “She didn’t even have that pot in her hand if you slow it down!”
R&B duo dvsn also weighed in on X and Instagram. “That Sonya Massey video really hurt to watch… that man claiming she ‘CAME at him with boiling water’ just made me think what if there was no body cam?… and how many times they’ve gotten away with these stories when it comes to us… smh. Hurts man,” read a post on their page.
The heartbreaking incident and the ensuing public outcry underscore the urgent need for police reform and accountability in cases of excessive force and racially motivated violence. The voices of celebrities and public figures amplify the demand for justice for Sonya Massey and other victims of police brutality.
