Vice President Kamala Harris made a heartfelt call to the family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy in her Illinois home.
The call, which took place on Friday, was a deeply emotional moment for Massey’s family, who shared their experience with NBC News.
Massey was killed on July 6 after calling the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, fearing there might be a prowler outside her home.
An attorney for her family and Illinois State Police confirmed the incident. Harris’s call provided much-needed comfort to the grieving family.
James Wilburn, Massey’s father, expressed his gratitude for the vice president’s support.
“It’s made me feel a lot better today,” he said. “She gave us her heartfelt condolences, and she let us know that she is with us 100%, that this senseless killing must stop.”
Shadia Massey, a cousin of Sonya Massey, was profoundly moved by Harris’s call.
“That call right there meant the world to my family right now,” she said. “I mean, it definitely broke every last one of us down. Out of all the phone calls, all the thousands and thousands of messages, and phone calls and inboxes, this one here really meant the world to our family.”
Massey recounted the emotional impact of hearing Harris speak.
“It was her voice for me,” she said. “It was just me, being Shadia Massey, and I was able to speak with the vice president of the United States. For her to take time out of her busy schedule to just make that one little phone call to our family, that meant the world to me. That’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened in my life.” She added, “She definitely has my vote.”
Body camera footage released earlier in the week showed Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson and his partner speaking with Massey outside her home before entering.
The situation escalated when Massey moved a pot off her stove, prompting Grayson to threaten her before opening fire. Grayson has since been fired and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
He has pleaded not guilty.
During her conversation with the family, Harris discussed the need for reforms in law enforcement hiring practices.
“This shopping from job to job, we’ve got to do something about stopping these people from being able to go from one department to the next department,” Wilburn recounted Harris saying. “You’re allowed to resign from one department, and then you get a job in the next department. And if that would stop, then my daughter would still be alive. This person should have never carried a badge and a gun. Never.”
Renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Massey family, said Harris stressed the importance of passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would create a federal registry of police officers and their records.
Crump noted that Harris also spent considerable time speaking with Sonya Massey’s son, Malachi, who was deeply moved by the call.
“I really don’t have no words,” Malachi Hill Massey said. “I got very emotional. Like, I don’t know. I started crying. Like this, this is crazy. I don’t have no words for this, honestly.”
Crump highlighted Harris’s ongoing commitment to civil rights and justice, praising her for taking the time to connect with the Massey family despite her busy schedule.
“As busy as she is right now dealing with foreign countries and leaders to say, ‘I won’t forget this Black woman and her family.’ That speaks to her character,” he said.
Harris also left a voicemail for the family of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man who died after being pinned down by hotel security guards in Milwaukee last month.
In the message, Harris expressed her condolences and support for Mitchell’s mother, Brenda Giles, and said they were in good hands with attorney Crump by their side.
