Local Voices
Family Of Sonya Massey Reacts To Settlement Over Deadly Illinois Police Shooting
Massey, 36, was shot and killed by a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy in her home near Springfield on July 6, 2024.
February 13, 2025
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS/AP) -- The family of Sonya Massey spoke out Wednesday after their $10 million settlement with Sangamon County, Illinois was officially approved.
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Civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters the settlement, approved Tuesday night by the Sangamon County Board, is poignant — particularly because Massey would have turned 37 on Wednesday and because a criminal trial and legislative changes await.
"It is bittersweet," Crump said in an online news conference. "This is our first step in getting full justice for Sonya Massey. ... We want civil accountability, criminal culpability and we want legislative changes. We want the laws to prevent something like this from happening again."
