The body camera video shows Sonya Massey, a Black woman, ducking and apologizing just moments before she was shot.
Sonya Massey was fatally shot by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy in her home, according to body camera footage released Monday. The video shows Massey, a Black woman, ducking and apologizing just moments before she was shot three times, with one bullet striking her head.
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Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, who is white, was indicted last week by an Illinois grand jury. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
The video corroborates prosecutors’ accounts of the incident. Grayson, standing across a counter, ordered Massey to put down a pot of hot water before threatening to shoot her. After Massey ducked and briefly stood, Grayson fired his pistol.
Massey, 36, had earlier called 911 to report a suspected prowler. The video shows two deputies arriving at her Springfield home just before 1 a.m. on July 6. They found a black SUV with broken windows in the driveway and knocked on the door, which Massey opened three minutes later, expressing fear and asking for help.
Inside, the deputies appeared frustrated as they asked Massey for identification. Noticing a pot on the stove, Grayson remarked, “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.” Massey moved the pot near the sink, and Grayson then pointed his pistol at her when she said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
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Grayson threatened to shoot her, and Massey apologized and ducked, raising her hands. Grayson, separated from Massey by a counter, shot her, and discouraged his partner from grabbing a medical kit, stating, “There’s nothing you can do, man.” He later relented when Massey was still breathing, but she succumbed to her injuries.
Grayson told responding officers that Massey had boiling water and came at him. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Massey’s family, dismissed Grayson’s justification as disingenuous, noting Massey’s need for help and her invocation of God during the encounter, possibly related to her mental health issues.
During a press conference, Crump criticized Grayson’s actions and called for transparency in the investigation. Massey’s father, James Wilburn, demanded openness from the court system, expressing grief over his daughter’s death.
Grayson, who was fired last week, is held in Sangamon County Jail without bond. He faces potential life sentences if convicted. His lawyer, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment.
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President Joe Biden issued a statement expressing condolences to Massey’s family and underscoring the broader issue of Black Americans facing disproportionate safety concerns when seeking help.
Massey’s death adds to a tragic list of Black individuals killed by police in their homes in recent years. Similar incidents include the 2019 shooting of Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth and the 2018 killing of Botham Jean in Dallas. Ben Crump has represented families in these cases, advocating for police accountability.