Sonya Massey remembered at rally in NYC's Washington Square Park. Here's what supporters had to say.
NEW YORK -- Sonya Massey's name echoed throughout Washington Square Park on Thursday night.
Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the 36-year-old mother of two, who was fatally shot earlier this month by a sheriff's deputy inside her own Illinois home.
"It's too traumatizing, seeing Black death replay over and over again. It's unnecessary. It just needs to stop," said Dimez Cartier, of the group We The People.
"I've been out here since 2020 every week, every year ... fighting the same thing," added Rally Rebel, founder of We The People.
Massey's family, supported by a community miles away, marched on with their message: "No justice, no peace!"
Organizers told CBS News New York they plan to be back in Washington Square Park for another rally Saturday night.
What happened to Sonya Massey?
On July 6, Massey called 911 about a possible prowler outside her home. Body-camera footage shows sheriff's deputies searching outside before coming to her door.
While inside, Deputy Sean Grayson is seen directing Massey to a pot of boiling water on the stove. As she moves it toward the sink, the situation escalates and the following exchange is heard on video:
"Where are you going?" Massey asks Grayson.
"Away from your hot, steaming water," Grayson responds.
"Away from my hot, steaming water?" Massey asks. "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
"Huh?" Grayson asks.
"I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," Massey says.
"You better [expletive] not. I swear to god, I'll [expletive] shoot you right at your [expletive] face," Grayson says.
"OK, I'm sorry," Massey says.
"Drop the [expletive] pot," Grayson says twice.
Then gunshots and loud bangs are heard.
"I don't know how this could be real"
Grayson is being held in jail and has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. He has since been fired by the sheriff's office. CBS News New York reached out to his attorney, who declined to comment.
Massey left behind a family still in shock.
"It can't be real. I don't know how this could be real," mother Donna Massey said Tuesday.