Latest news with #SangamonCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Sonya Massey's son Malachi set to graduate from Southeast high school
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — Malachi Hill-Massey will walk across the stage at the Bank of Springfield Center on Saturday and get his high school diploma. He will have family, friends and mentors in the crowd, but he will have his mother — Sonya Massey — with him on stage in spirit. 'This is all my mom really wanted for me,' Hill-Massey said. 'She wanted me to graduate. It;s a mission completed to me.' It's been 11 months since Sonya Massey was shot and killed in her home by former Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson. Those 11 months have been chaotic for Malachi as he balanced his schoolwork, his job, his rage and his love for his mother. While her death has inspired fear, anger and righteousness for people across the country, her memory inspired him to get to this finish line. 'I just tried to just push to power through and just remember that my mom wanted me to graduate regardless of anything,' Hill-Massey said. 'So I just remember I have the power to do and get it done.' Malachi says he has a long list of people to thank for helping him get to this moment. 'At school, like everybody was there for me, like everybody was helping me,' Hill-Massey said. The Massey family will watch Malachi cross the stage at the bank of Springfield center on Saturday. That moment of pride will give them a much needed reprieve after months of seeking justice for Sonya Massey. 'I'm so proud of him that he's weathered the storm in the world,' James Wilburn, Sonya Massey's father said. 'You know, we handle things on a day to day basis. Some days are good days, some days are bad days for all of us. And we try to stay in touch with him on the story on the telephone as much as we can. I'm just overjoyed that he did make this through to completion.' Sonya's mother said she knows her daughter will be looking down, smiling as he crosses that stage. 'We're so happy that he's made his mom proud,' Sonya's mother Donna Massey said. 'We can feel her shining down on us. She's happy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
5th victim dies after April crash at after-school program in Chatham, Illinois
An 8-year-old boy has died, more than a month after a car crashed into an after-school program in downstate Chatham, Illinois, becoming the fifth person who died in the crash. The Sangamon County Coroner's office said 8-year-old Bradley Lund had been hospitalized at HSHS St. John's Hospital since suffering multiple blunt force injuries in the crash on April 28, and was pronounced dead shortly before 6 a.m. on Monday, June 2. Four others were killed on the day of the crash: Ainsley Johnson, 8, of Chatham; Kathryn Corley, 7, of Chatham; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, of Chatham; and Riley Britton, 18, of Springfield. Five other children were injured. The crash happened around 3:20 p.m. on April 28 at YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp, when a car left the road, traveled through a field and then plowed into the east side of the building, striking several people outside before driving through it and striking many inside. The vehicle eventually broke through the opposite side of the building and came to a stop. Police have said initial toxicology results showed that the driver, 44-year-old Marianne Akers, was negative both for alcohol and controlled substances. Police said there is some evidence that points to a possible medical emergency leading up to the crash, but the investigation remains ongoing. Charges have not been filed in the crash, which remains under investigation "There's just no evidence that would indicate that this was something intended as some type of mass violence, or a terrorist attack, or something along those natures," Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in the days after the crash. "There's absolutely nothing to indicate that whatsoever." Police confirmed Akers was the only person in the car. Akers is a former employee of the Illinois State Police and the local high school, and now works as an office assistant at the Illinois Department of Transportation. State police have said Akers is cooperating with their investigation Kelly said state police are using the data recorder from the vehicle in their investigation, which could possibly provide information on the vehicle's speed, how its engine was performing and more, depending on the make and model of the car and what onboard sensors it has. "It is a lot, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to tell you everything. It's not a magic tool that will solve every crime, but it is circumstantial evidence that, along with other things, can be considered," Kelly said last month. The video above is from an earlier report.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man found dead in wooded area in Sangamon Co.
SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — An adult male was found dead in a wooded area in Sangamon County Friday afternoon. Man arrested after damaging Springfield ATM with excavator: Police According to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon, the man was found in a wooded area near the 3500 block of Illinois State Route 104 during the afternoon of May 16. The identity of this man will be released once he has been scientifically identified and after the next of kin has been notified. Additionally, an autopsy has been scheduled, and this incident is currently under investigation by the Sangamon County Coroner's Office and the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. There is no further information at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Part of I-55 down to one lane after single-vehicle crash in Springfield
SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Part of I-55 in Sangamon County is closed for a crash investigation. Troopers with the Illinois State Police responded to I-55 Southbound, near milepost 99 in Springfield at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Springfield resident arrested on drug charges in Indiana After investigating, authorities said preliminary information indicates a white SUV ran off the roadway to the right and hit a metal guardrail. The fire department and EMS are still on scene and the right lane of I-55 South is closed for the investigation. State Police added that this investigation is still ongoing, and that no additional information is available at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
