LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The cries for justice continue to grow louder for Sonya Massey, a mother of two who was shot and killed by an Illinois deputy while in her home.
Massey has some local ties to the Pine Bluff community and now elected officials, community members, and loved ones have come together to remember and honor her.
The Director of March for Black Women and Girls, Coffy Davis, explained how she created the organization to spread awareness about violent crimes, especially those involving Black women like Sonya Massey.
"I knew that it was going to really hit me in my core because this is a woman who looks like me, who sounds like me, sounds like all the women that I love, that I've grown up with," Davis explained.
In the bodycam video that was released, you can see Illinois Deputy Sean Grayson and his partner searching Massey's home and then entering it. Deputy Grayson can be heard telling Massey to turn off a pot of boiling water and that is when things took a turn.
The two continued to exchange words back and forth and then Deputy Grayson drew his weapon and fired three times— hitting her in the face.
Massey's father, James Wilburn, is from Pine Bluff and attended the rally on Sunday night which was organized for city officials, community leaders, and law enforcement to speak about the ongoing problem.
Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said that from a law enforcement perspective, they do not have the answers on why this happened but they say it was unjustified.
"No matter how many times you watch the video, how many times you rewind it, slow it down, freeze it, the conclusion is still the same and should still be the same. The use of force, the use of deadly force was unjustified," Sheriff Woods described.
That exact thought is being echoed across the state as advocates like Davis want to see this narrative end.