On July 6, Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed by a white police officer in her home in Springfield, Illinois. It’s a sadly familiar story, and one which is still unfolding.
Here is what we know so far about the fatal shooting.
This story contains graphic depictions.
Sonya Massey called the police to her home to report a suspected break-in.
Massey called 911 in the early morning of July 6 because she thought someone was trying to break into her house. According to The Guardian, Massey’s daughter has said her mother had been previously diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. When the police arrived, they began searching the front of her home and her backyard with flashlights. They also asked Massey for her identification.
When one of the two sheriff’s deputies who arrived on the scene, 30-year-old Sean Grayson, saw that Massey had a pot of boiling water on the stove, he asked her to remove it. As she picked up the pot, she noticed the officers move away from her.
“Where you going?” she asked them, per body cam footage released on July 23.
“Away from your hot steaming water,” Grayson answered.
“Away from the hot steaming water? Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey responded.
Grayson fired his weapon three times, killing Massey.
Grayson then drew his gun and began ordering Massey, who kneeled behind the counter with her arms up, to drop the pot. Grayson closed the distance between himself and Massey while telling her, “You better fucking not, I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face.”
Massey replied, “I’m sorry.” Grayson then fired three shots. Massey was killed by a bullet which struck her in face.
After the shooting, Grayson’s partner said he was going to retrieve his medical kit, however Grayson told him not to bother. “Nah, she’s done,” he said. “You can go get it, but that’s a headshot.”
Later, Grayson can be heard telling other officers outside of the home, “Yeah I’m good, this fucking bitch is crazy.”
The incident was caught on camera.
The entire interaction was captured on body cam footage, which was released to the public by the authorities on Tuesday, July 23.
Per CNN, Grayson’s partner, another sheriff’s deputy, turned on his body cam upon arriving at Massey’s residence. Grayson, the outlet reports, did not turn on his body cam until after he had fired his weapon at Massey.
The officer who killed Massey has been fired and charged with first-degree murder.
Nearly two weeks after Massey’s death, on July 17, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department said that Grayson had been fired. On the same day, he was charged with first-degree murder and indicted on three counts by a grand jury, CNN reported.
“The body worn camera footage has now been released, and the public can see what we saw: Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said in a statement on Monday. “Grayson had other options available that he should have used. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office.”
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