A woman in Illinois was fatally shot by law enforcement last week after calling authorities because she was scared an intruder was in her home, according to her family’s attorney.
Sonya Massey, 36, died after an early-morning encounter with deputies from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Springfield on July 6, according to a news release from Illinois State Police, which is investigating at the request of the sheriff’s office.
State police said body camera footage and other information tied to the case is not immediately being released to “protect the integrity of the legal process.”
In separate news releases, state police and the sheriff’s office said deputies arrived at a home on the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue shortly before 1 a.m. following a 911 call. The sheriff’s office said it was called over a report of a prowler.
Massey was shot during the incident and declared dead at an area hospital, state police said Wednesday.
In its statement the day of the shooting, the sheriff’s office said two deputies searched the area and at about 1:21 a.m. “the Deputies reported that shots had been fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire.”
No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said.
No additional details about what led up to the shooting were released by either agency.
Ben Crump, an attorney for Massey’s family, said in a statement Thursday that the shooting occurred after Massey called law enforcement because “she thought there was an intruder in her home.”
“It is extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls the police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot in the head by police at her own home,” Crump said in the statement. “We demand that all body camera footage from this incident be released immediately so that Sonya’s family and the public can see what happened in those thirty deadly minutes. No family should have to endure the pain and suffering that Sonya’s loved ones are experiencing right now.”
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Sangamon County Building on Friday to call for justice, according to local reports. Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, was also in attendance.
A representative for the Illinois State Police declined additional comment Friday. No one with the county sheriff’s office could immediately be reached for comment Friday.
Sheriff Jack Campbell said in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon that it is “imperative” the sheriff’s office “protect the integrity of the investigation by waiting for the determination from ISP.”
“My normal procedure is to respond to inquiries and to give public statements in regard to major events. And as an elected official, that is always my instinct,” Campbell said in the post. “In this case, it would not be appropriate. I’m asking for the public and the media to be patient as we seek the facts surrounding this tragic event.”
The Illinois State Police said they are working closely with the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office in its investigation.
