Family of Sonya Massey, Black woman fatally shot in face by police, to get $10M settlement
The dollar amount was quickly criticized by some board members and Massey family supporters.
This story has been updated with new information.
County officials in Illinois have agreed to a $10 million settlement to the family of Sonya Massey, a woman fatally shot in her home last year by a sheriff's deputy after she called for help.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump described the out-of-court mediated settlement between Sangamon County and the estate as "bittersweet" on Wednesday.
"On what would have been her 37th birthday, we announce this historic settlement, which is only the first step in the journey for justice," said Crump, who represented Massey's family.
Massey, a Black woman and the mother of two children, was fatally shot in her home by Sean P. Grayson, a Sangamon County sheriff's deputy. She had called 911 to report a possible intruder to her home in an unincorporated neighborhood of Springfield, Illinois.
Grayson was charged with first-degree murder and remains jailed.
The dollar amount, worked out in sessions last week in Chicago, was quickly criticized by some Sangamon County board members and Massey family supporters, though they hoped the settlement would move the family forward in the grieving process.
Speaking from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Massey's father James Wilburn, said during a Wednesday press conference that his heart was "heavy." He accused Grayson of being "a rogue cop" who should have never been hired by Sangamon County.
"No one should feel the hurt we're feeling today," Wilburn said.
Crump addressed newly introduced legislation from Illinois state Sen. Doris Turner that aims to strengthen background checks and increase transparency in law enforcement hiring.
"It is the hope of Sonya’s family that her death can bring change," Crump added, "and that the community will continue to say her name, so no one ever needlessly loses their life again when all they are asking for is help."
Sangamon County Assistant State's Attorney Joel Benoit and two outside attorneys represented the county. The settlement was mediated by retired state judge Kay Hanlon, who is employed by ADR Systems, which provides arbitration and other legal services.
The settlement, said County Administrator Brian McFadden, will be paid through cash reserves. The county has 100 funds with reserves, he said.
"We will not be raising taxes. We will not be issuing additional debt. We will not be cutting services," McFadden insisted.
Some say payout isn't enough
Marc Ayers, a Democrat who represents local District 12, said the payout, believed to be the largest in Sangamon County history, was "woefully inadequate."
"I am pleased how quickly this did come to a settlement and that the family did sign off on the settlement," Ayers said. "I'm at least pleased that there is an end in sight for the family and that they might be able to move on somehow. We shouldn't have been here in the first place and that is the pressing thing about tonight's vote."
Teresa Haley of Haley & Associates also didn't think the settlement was enough.
"Sonya's life was worth so much more because this part of her life, that history, this legacy will go on for generations to experience," she said.
"How can you provide restitution or make whole someone or family that has experienced a significant loss?" asked Reggie Guyton, who was sworn in as a new board member representing District 21. "There's no way to make whole when someone has been needlessly, senselessly taken."
While the settlement is a start, Guyton acknowledged, "we need to consider there is much distrust, much hurt that a community at large is feeling and we have an obligation to make things right."
Ayers hoped it was a wakeup call to the community, to attend more county board and Massey Commission meetings.
"We owe it to taxpayers and the Massey family to not stop this fight and to continue these reforms wherever we can," he said.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.