‘A Slap in the Face’: Family Outraged as Former Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, Charged with Murdering Black Woman Set to Walk Free

A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of an innocent Black woman this past summer will appear in court Friday for a hearing that could set him free while awaiting trial. Sonya Massey, 36, was killed after Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean P. Grayson, who is white, opened fire at her Springfield home on July 6 after Massey placed a 911 call in the middle of the night to report a prowler. A group of 15 to 20 protesters marched angrily outside the county building before Monday’s& bond hearing, calling for Grayson to remain in custody. Sean Grayson, right, was charged for the deadly shooting of Sonya Massey, left, in Springfield, Illinois, on July 6, 2024. (Photos: Facebook/Karla White Carey, Sangamon County Jail) Tiara Standage, who collaborated with Massey and played a key role in organizing the protest, expressed that it was “ridiculous” to even entertain the notion of releasing Grayson. “It’s a slap in the face to the Massey family,” Standage said, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. “They’re spending their first holidays without their loved one, and Sean Grayson could possibly spend his holidays with his family. That’s unfair.” Last week,...