Kamala Harris added her voice on Tuesday to mounting requires policing reforms following the killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black lady who was shot in her dwelling by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy earlier this month.
“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” the vice-president stated in a press release Tuesday. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve.”
Harris, who’s all however sure to guide Democrats into November’s presidential election, stated she and her husband, first gentleman Doug Emhoff, “send strength and prayers to Sonya’s family and friends, and we join them in grieving her senseless death”.
Harris additionally stated that their ideas had been with “communities across our nation whose calls for help are often met with suspicion, distrust and even violence”.
On Monday, a 36-minute police body-camera video of the deadly taking pictures was publicly launched. It confirmed two Sangamon county sheriff’s deputies responding to Massey’s dwelling after midnight on 6 July after she referred to as 911 to report a doable “prowler” at her dwelling in Springfield.
As soon as inside the house, Sean Grayson, a deputy who has since been charged with three counts of first-degree homicide, and one other deputy spoke with Massey. Recognizing a pot of boiling water on Massey’s range, Grayson ordered her to take away it. However when Massey moved towards the range, the interplay rapidly escalated.
As deputies backed away from Massey, she requested: “Where are you going?” to which one of many deputies replied: “Away from your hot steaming water.” Massey, who has been recognized as a paranoid-schizophrenic by her daughter, then stated: “Away from the hot steaming water? Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson is heard responding: “You better fucking not or I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you in the f**king face.”
He then attracts his firearm and factors it at her, as Massey geese together with her arms up and says: “I’m sorry,” the video reveals. “Drop the fucking pot!” each deputies yell, earlier than Grayson fires three photographs. One deputy says “shots fired” and requires emergency medical companies.
“Nah, head shot dude, she’s done,” Grayson is heard saying. He has been fired and is presently being held with out bond.
In her assertion, Harris stated that “the disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many – we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.”
On Monday, Joe Biden referred to as on Congress to go the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a wide-ranging police reform invoice that was drafted in 2020 whereas Harris was senator for California. A 12 months later, the invoice handed in Congress however stalled within the Senate.
Harris, who’s anticipated to make racial justice part of her presidential-run platform, stated she joined with Biden in commending the “swift action” of the Illinois lawyer’s workplace and in calling on Congress to go the George Floyd policing laws, “a bill that I coauthored in the Senate”.
“In this moment,” Harris added, “in honor of Sonya’s memory and the memory of so many more whose names we may never know, we must come together to achieve meaningful reforms that advance the safety of all communities.”
