Vice President Harris spoke Friday with the family of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who police shot and killed in her home earlier this month.
A spokesperson for Harris’ office confirmed that the vice president spoke with Massey’s family. NBC News first reported on the call, and a family member said the vice president offered “her sincerest condolences and let us know that she is with us, 100 percent.”
Massey, a 36-year-old black woman, called 911 to report a burglar outside her home in Springfield, Illinois. The police arrived and inspected the property and did not find any thief.
Body camera video released by the Illinois State Police showed Sean Grayson, a since-fired Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, shooting Massey three times. An autopsy report released on Friday revealed that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
The footage showed officers talking to Massey, and the situation became more tense when she took a pan of water from the stove. Grayson can be heard swearing at Massey, telling her “you better not. I swear to God I’m going to shoot you right in your face.”
Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct, the Associated Press reported.
Harris earlier this week released a statement saying Massey “deserved to be safe” and expressing regret over his “senseless death.”
President Biden issued a statement saying Massey’s family deserves justice and reiterating his call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a major police reform bill named after the Minnesota man whose murder by a police in 2020 triggered protests across the country.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
