Police body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was shot in her own home by a deputy after calling 911 to report a possible intruder, was released by the Illinois State Police Monday afternoon.
The video, reviewed by ABC News, shows Massey, 36, being shot in the face by former Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, 30, who is white, has since been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, to which he pleaded not guilty. He has been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
According to charging documents filed in Sangamon County Court, Grayson allegedly shot Massey in the face after the deputy “aggressively yelled” at her to put down a pot of boiling water and she threw it on a couch.
The video shows Massey pouring a pot of boiling water into the sink after Grayson points out the pot on her stove. Massey asked where he was going, and Grayson replied “away from your hot steaming water.”
“Aw, away from my hot steaming water? Aw, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said.
Grayson replied “You better [expletive] not, I swear to [expletive] God I’ll shoot you right in your [expletive] face,” and immediately proceeded to draw his gun.
Massey covered her face with the pot as she ducked down and apologized. Grayson told her to “drop the [expletive] pot” three times before he shot her.
Sonya Massey died at 36 years old.
Courtesy Ben Crump
Grayson and a second deputy who has not yet been named were dispatched to Massey’s Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6 to investigate a possible prowler, according to the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Grayson only activated his body-worn camera after the shooting. The other deputy had activated his camera when he arrived at the scene, according to charging documents filed against Grayson in Sangamon County Court.
Court documents describe Massey as “calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive” at the time that the deputies responded to her call for help. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, told ABC News that Massey struggled with her mental health.
Crump described the body-worn camera footage of Massey’s death as “extremely graphic.” He will join the family to address the media Monday afternoon in a news conference, where mental health professionals will be present to counsel attendees due to the graphic nature of the video.
Grayson allegedly discouraged his partner from retrieving a medical kit to render aid to Massey after the shooting because he allegedly thought the injuries were too severe to revive her, according to prosecutors.
In the video, Grayson tells the second deputy that “she’s done” when he says he’s going to get his med kit immediately after Massey is shot.
“No, head shot, dude. She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” Grayson said. “What else do we do? I’m not taking pot boiling water to the [expletive] face and it already reached us.”
Sonya Massey died at 36 years old.
Courtesy Ben Crump
The second responding deputy still proceeded to render aid to Massey. According to a statement from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, “Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.”
Massey was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. on July 6. An autopsy found that she died of a gunshot wound, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.
Illinois State Police investigated the shooting for use of deadly force at the request of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. According to Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, a review of the investigation and the body-worn camera footage found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
Massey was honored at a funeral on Friday, July 19. During the funeral, her younger sister, Breeanna Toles, asked the public to keep her family’s feelings in mind when watching the body-worn camera footage of her sister’s shooting.
“I know people wanna see the video, I know people wanna talk about the video; I just ask if you do it, just do it out of respect for us,” Toles said.
President Joe Biden released a statement on Massey’s death.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not,” Biden’s statement says. “Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.
Grayson’s attorney, Dan Fultz, declined to comment.
ABC News’ Abby Cruz and Davi Merchan contributed to this report.
Source Agencies
