Ahead of body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Springfield woman Sonya Massey being released, here’s a timeline of the events in the fatal shooting.
Timeline
Around 12:50 a.m., July 6: Two Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputies, including defendant Sean P. Grayson, were called to a home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township for a possible intruder. According to court documents, they made contact with the 911 caller, Sonya Massey, who appeared to be “calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive.”
While another deputy was clearing the house, Grayson began “aggressively yelling” at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water she removed from her stove, although he had given her permission to do so.
More: Crump: Body camera footage in Sonya Massey shooting will ‘shock the conscience of America’
Despite being in another room, Grayson drew his weapon and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. According to documents, Massey put her hands in the air, said “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover.
Grayson fired three shots, striking Massey once in the face.
1:21 a.m., July 6: According to a Sangamon County news release, deputies reported the shots were fired at this time.
1:47 a.m., July 6: Massey is taken to HSHS St. John’s Hospital emergency room where she is pronounced dead, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.
9:20 a.m., July 6: Sangamon County issues its first news release about the case. By this time, the case had been referred to the Illinois State Police by Sheriff Jack Campbell.
July 8: Allmon said Massey died of a single gunshot wound, according to autopsy findings.
July 11: Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump announced he has been retained by the family of Massey.
July 12: A two-hour protest at Sangamon County Building demanding the release of body cam footage and transparency in the case is staged. More protests recur on July 15-16.
July 17 — Massey family members review the body cam footage of the sheriff’s deputies. A Sangamon County grand jury indicted Grayson on five counts, including three counts of first-degree murder. He is arrested and surrenders to police.
Campbell said Grayson was terminated as a deputy. It was announced that body cam footage would be released July 22. A protest rally draws about 200 supporters to the Springfield NAACP Building.
July 18: Grayson makes a first appearance in Sangamon County court before Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin. Grayson pleads not guilty to all five counts. Cadagin denied Grayson’s petition to be released according to the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.
July 19: Massey’s funeral is held at Ruby Funeral Services & Chapel. Eulogizing Massey, Crump said the body cam footage would “shock the conscience of America,” similar to images of Emmett Till, a teenager whose lynching in 1955 galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.
2 p.m., July 22: Scheduled release of sheriff’s deputies’ body cam footage.
3 p.m., July 22: Scheduled peace march in Massey’s memory from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to Comer Cox Park on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sonya Massey: A timeline of events from her death to her funeral
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