"We are not safe"- Anthony Edwards' baby mama Jeanine Robel feels concerned after Sonya Massey's death
Sonya Massey’s death has caused another country-wide controversy amid another election year. Former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson allegedly shot Massey to death on July 6 after the woman called 911 to report an intruder in their house but was killed by the police, who were sent to supposedly keep her from harm.
The Illinois State Police Department then released the body cam footage from the case in which Massey was heard shouting, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” which has since caused great outrage throughout America.
With the incident becoming another case of the unruly shooting of an officer, Anthony Edwards' baby mama, Jeanine Robel, expressed her concern in an Instagram story. The story included the quote Massey screamed minutes before her death.
“We are not safe,” Robel wrote.
The 36-minute footage that has since made rounds in the news and on the internet saw Massey apologize a few times before ducking for cover with the threat of the deputy shooting her. However, the officer then fired a few shots, subsequently killing her inside of her own home.
Early in the video, which was released two weeks after the incident, Massey was holding an apparent hot pot of water in an attempt to defend herself. The police then asked her to go away from it.
In an ironic and somewhat foreshadowing way, the woman also asked the police not to hurt her during their conversation. Massey’s last words were, “I’m sorry.”
Just like Massey, Jeanine Robel is a black woman with children so her message echoes the community’s call to stop violent shootings of people in their own homes.
Robel has been supporting Anthony Edwards in his Team USA Olympic journey, joining him throughout their exhibition games in Las Vegas and London before heading to Paris, France for the Olympic tournament.
Ex-NBA player Nick Young questions representing Team USA in Olympics after shooting of Sonya Massey
Ex-NBA player Nick Young expressed his sentiment about Sonya Massey’s killing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where hundreds of athletes are set to represent the country on the world stage.
"So the police shot and killed an 36 yr old black lady holding a pot bcuz she said I rebuke you in Jesus name..and we out here playing for USA," tweeted Nick Young.
Massey’s case was another incident of police brutality against the African-American community in the U.S.
The NBA has been one of the most vocal organizations in America in denouncing police brutality, as evidenced by the George Floyd incident in 2020, when numerous protests were made by the league during their NBA bubble restart.