Sangamon County, Illinois Board approves settlement with Sonya Massey's family over police shooting
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- Downstate Illinois officials on Tuesday approved a $10 million settlement for the family of Sonya Massey.
Massey, 36, was shot and killed by a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy in her home near Springfield on July 6, 2024.
Just minutes after Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson and other officers responded to Massey's 911 call about a potential prowler outside her home, Grayson shot and killed Massey in her kitchen when she checked on a pot of boiling water in her own kitchen while saying, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Grayson later said he felt threatened by Massey and the boiling water she had on her stove, but he was fired from the sheriff's office and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and official misconduct in Massey's death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in jail, but is fighting in court to be released from custody while he awaits trial.
The settlement with Massey's family was reached last week after mediation between lawyers for both Massey's family and Sangamon County. CBS News Chicago is told the negotiations lasted an entire day at a law office in Chicago.
The Sangamon County Board approved the settlement Tuesday evening. In return, the Massey family will drop all existing lawsuits.
"At the end of the mediation, all parties agreed upon a $10 million settlement," said Sangamon County Assistant State's Attorney Joel Benoit.
One of the biggest questions from Sangamon County Board members was how the county will afford the $10 million settlement. The county said the money will be pulled from the equivalent of a rainy day fund, and stressed that taxes will not be raised and services will not be c
The Massey family will comment on the settlement with their attorneys Wednesday morning.
Wednesday would have been Massey's 37th birthday, and her family is planning a demonstration at the state capitol.
The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office agreed last month to be monitored by the U.S. Justice Department for two years, but the future of that agreement is uncertain. Civil rights agreements reached at the end of the Biden administration are now under review by officials in President Trump's Justice Department.
Meantime, a coalition of county board members have sent a letter to the Massey Commission – a citizens' panel formed in response to Massey's murder – requesting they ask the Illinois Attorney General or Illinois State Police to investigate the Sangamon County Sheriff's office, saying they don't believe the Justice Department agreement is adequate or will be enforced. The commission will address that request at their next meeting on Feb. 10.
