Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – “Black lives matter” and “Say her name…Sonya Massey” were just a couple of the chants from the over 100 protesters who gathered in front of the Sangamon County Building on Ninth Street Friday morning to demand transparency and the release of body cam footage in the Sonya Massey case. Tiara Standage coordinated the wrongful death protest and said, “this has been happening for way too long. We want a transparent investigation and answers now.”
Standage said Massey weighed only around 110 pounds, and there was no reason for armed sheriff’s deputies to take her life. “There are plenty of things they could have done. They could have detained her and de-escalated the situation, instead they chose to kill Sonya in cold blood.”
The case is currently under investigation by the Illinois State Police who released a statement on Wednesday indicating bodycam footage and information would be released to Massey’s family first.
Preliminary autopsy reports released by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon indicated Massey died from a gunshot wound, and she was transported from her home on Hoover Avenue by EMS to St. John’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. Saturday.
Coroner and Sangamon County releases
Information released on July 6 by Sangamon County Communications Director Jeff Wilhite indicated deputies were dispatched to the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in response to a report of a prowler. Deputies reported shots had been fired at approximately 1:21 a.m. resulting Massey being struck by gunfire.
