Police Shooting Opinion

The Sonya Massey Murder: The Truth About What Happens When The Wrong Person Is Called

On July 6, a woman named Sonya Massey was shot by police. Later, the bodycam footage was released. What happened is easy to understand from a human perspective. It’s hard to understand if you’ve been through training to carry a weapon as a law enforcement member in Illinois.

Photo by Martin Podsiad on Unsplash

In October 1993, I went through the Illinois mandatory 40-hour firearms training to work as a volunteer deputy sheriff. It was a good learning experience and helped me train to be a full-time officer. In October of 1997, I went through it again as a full-time employee of Knox County Illinois.

I performed a variety of different duties for 23 years and worked for two different agencies in 2004/2005. Carrying a firearm in the course of protecting and serving the public is one of the greatest responsibilities and trusts a person can shoulder.

Through the years there have been many law enforcement shootings and with the advent of police bodycams, we haven’t had to hope for amateur videographers, local news footage, or other sources to get…