A jury in Illinois convicted Sean Grayson, a sheriff’s deputy, of second-degree murder in the 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black mother of two who had called 911 about a suspected prowler. Grayson was originally charged with first-degree murder, but the jury opted to convict him on a lesser charge. That prompted anger from Massey’s supporters, including her father, James Wilburn.

James Wilburn: “There’s a difference in this country when you have my skin color and Grayson’s skin color. We need serious justice, not a miscarriage of justice that happened here in Peoria. We need to pass the George Floyd Policing Act. We need to pass the John Lewis Voting Act. We need to make the Sonya Massey law across the whole United States. Then no family in our country can go through what our family has gone through.”

In July 2024, Grayson and another deputy officer arrived at Massey’s house after she reported suspicious activity. Grayson then shot Massey after he confronted her about how she was handling a pot of hot water. There is no indication from bodycam video that Massey intended to throw the hot water at either officer.