What We Know About the Fatal Shooting of Sonya Massey
An Illinois officer shot an unarmed Black woman in her home after she called 911 for help. He’s now charged with murder.
In the early hours of July 6, Sonya Massey called 911 looking for help with a suspected intruder. But within minutes of the officers entering her Springfield, Illinois, home, the 36-year-old mother was dead — fatally shot by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. The police killing, which sparked protests in Massey’s name and drew the attention of President Joe Biden, was caught on tape, detailed in a 36-minute body-cam video released on Monday. The sheriff’s office has fired Grayson, and a review of the Illinois State Police investigation conducted by a use-of-force expert found the deputy was not “justified in his use of deadly force,” per the state’s attorney in a news release. As of last week, Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder.
The events began unfolding when Massey reported a possible prowler. In the body-cam footage, Massey, wearing a long white robe, answers the door for the two deputies who arrived at the scene at 12:50 a.m. After scoping out her yard, the deputies join Massey inside. The officers ask her a few questions — “You’re not in trouble,” Grayson at one point tells Massey after asking for her last name — and soon Grayson points to a boiling pot of water on the stove. “We don’t need a fire while we’re here,” he says, and Massey rushes over to turn off the pot. She picks up the pot and begins pouring the hot water into the sink. The second deputy backs away, and Massey asks calmly, “Where are you going?”
“Away from your hot steaming water,” he says. Massey and the officer both seem to laugh and she says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” In an instant, the tenor in the room changes.
“You better fucking not, or I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you in the fucking face,” Grayson says in the video. After he draws his gun and points it at Massey, she lifts the pot, ducks, and says, “I’m sorry.” Both officers demand she “drop the fucking pot,” before three shots are fired. One deputy can be heard reporting “shots fired” and calling for EMS before Grayson discourages his partner. “Nah, she’s done. You can go get [your kit], but that’s a head shot,” he says. “Dude, I’m not taking fucking boiling water to the fucking head. And look, it came right to our feet, too.” Paramedics later took Massey to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, per The Guardian.
After the footage was released on Monday, President Biden posted a statement to X sending his condolences to Massey’s family and urging Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to “increase trust and accountability in America’s police force.” “Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” he wrote. “Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2024
Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.
In a press conference the same day, civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Massey family and previously gained prominence representing the families of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols, told local outlets, including Fox2 Now, “We’re going to make sure that Sonya Massey’s death was not in vain.” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, was also on hand Monday. “I want justice for my baby,” he told reporters.
Last week, a Sangamon County grand jury indicted 30-year-old Grayson on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, John Milhiser, the state’s attorney for the county, told CNN. Grayson has entered a not-guilty plea and was denied pretrial release, the outlet reports. Meanwhile, Massey’s loved ones and supporters have continued to demand justice for her and the two teenage children who survive her. (The Cut has reached out to both the Sangamon County sheriff’s office and Crump for comment and will update this post if we hear back.)
“While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable, and we will demand transparency at every step,” Crump said. “Let us pray to comfort the grieving.”