A person at the scene, probably a police officer, told 911 after the shooting that Massey’s injuries were “self-inflicted,” according to a police audio clip that the newspaper The Guardian have gained access to.
An operator at the emergency center asks in the audio clip for confirmation of this, and the person repeats that the injuries were self-inflicted, according to the newspaper.
The audio clip is consistent with what the family says was misleading information from the police when Massey was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Claimed she committed suicide
At a news conference Tuesday, the family said police initially told them she had either committed suicide or been killed by someone who had broken into her home.
“They tried to make me believe a neighbor had done it,” said Jimmie Crawford Jr, Massey’s former partner and the father of one of her children.
According to him, the police told the nurses at the hospital that Massey had killed himself. Only after a medical examiner ruled Massey’s death a homicide did police in Illinois begin classifying the incident as a police killing, according to the family.
Some in Massey’s family did not learn who had actually killed her until they read about it in the newspaper on July 6, according to her father James Wilburn.
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, confirms that the United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the murder.
The Ministry of Justice opens an investigation
It was the Illinois State Police that on Monday published the shocking video showing how a police officer shoots the black woman in the head. Massey called 911 because she believed there was a burglary at her home, which is located near the state capital of Springfield, Illinois.
At one point, a police officer instructs her to remove a pot of boiling water from the stove to avoid starting a fire. Massey goes into the kitchen to do so as the police begin to retreat.
In the video from their body camera, she asks where they are going, and one police officer replies “away from your boiling water”. Massey replies that she will rebuke him in the name of Jesus, and then one of the police officers pulls out his gun and replies, “You shouldn’t. I swear to God I’ll shoot you right in the face.”
Massey begins to duck, saying sorry twice before the officer approaches and fires three shots that hit her right below the eye, killing her.
After shooting Massey, the police officer tries to dissuade his colleague from helping Massey.
Condemned by the Democrats
Massey was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which can cause severe delusions.
Several Democratic politicians have condemned Massey’s murder, including President Joe Biden and Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The police officer charged with premeditated murder of Massey is said to have served in six different police departments since 2020. He has lost his job, but denies criminal responsibility.
The incident is compared to when American police killed George Floyd in 2020, which led to massive demonstrations against the police’s use of force against unarmed black people.
Biden has advocated for Congress to pass a new law called the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act”, which will contribute to accountability in the police, including when it comes to excessive use of force and racism.
Massey’s killing has sparked protests in her home state of Illinois.
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2024-07-26 13:53:49
