Vice President Harris on Friday met with the family of Sonia Massey, a Black woman who was shot and killed by police in her home earlier this month.
A spokesperson for Harris’ office confirmed that the vice president had spoken with Massie’s family. NBC News First reported In the call, the vice president “expressed his deepest condolences and let us know he is with us 100 percent,” the family said.
Massey, a 36-year-old black woman, called 911 to report a wanderer outside her home in Springfield, Illinois. Officers arrived on scene and searched the home but did not find the wanderer.
Body camera footage released by Illinois State Police showed fired Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Grayson shooting Massey three times. Massey died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to an autopsy report released Friday.
The video shows officers speaking with Massey, and the situation became more tense when she grabbed a pot of water from the stove. Grayson can be heard yelling at Massey, “You better not do that. I swear, I’ll shoot you in the face.”
Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct, the Associated Press reported.
Governor Harris issued a statement earlier this week saying Massey “should have been safe” and expressing sadness over her “senseless death.”
President Biden issued a statement saying Massey’s family needs justice and renewed his call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Police Justice Act, a major police reform bill named after the Minnesota man whose death at the hands of police in 2020 sparked nationwide protests.
