Autopsy shows Sonya Massey was killed by a gunshot under her eye
An autopsy report released Friday by Sangamon County officials shows Springfield resident Sonya Massey was killed by a gunshot wound just under her left eye.
Massey, 36, had called law enforcement to her home to report a possible intruder. Then-Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, one of the responding officers, shot her in the head, saying he feared Massey would throw a pot of boiling water at him. Body camera footage, however, shows Massey ducking for cover behind her kitchen counter with her hands in the air before Grayson fired at her.
Massey was pronounced dead just an hour after she made the 911 call.
“The autopsy confirms what everybody already knows from the video,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at a press conference Friday. “This was just a senseless, unnecessary excessive use of force. Completely unnecessary, certainly not justified.”
Crump is representing Massey’s family. Previously he represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Crump said the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.
A spokesperson for that department told WBEZ the agency is "aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death" and extended “condolences to her family and loved ones.” The spokesman said the Justice Department will continue to track the criminal case opened by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney.
Crump said he told the Justice Department they should look into Grayson’'s employment history. Before joining law enforcement, Grayson had been arrested twice for driving under the influence and once for driving on a suspended license. Sangamon County was his sixth law enforcement agency in four years. Before joining the sheriff’s office, Grayson had worked for smaller, rural jurisdictions. Crump said he so far knows of two allegations of misconduct lodged against Grayson before he got a job in Springfield.
Meanwhile, the Massey family said they spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris who offered her condolences. In a statement Tuesday, Harris called the killing “senseless” and footage of the shooting “disturbing.”
The autopsy report released Friday shows Massey had traces of gabapentin — a medication used to treat seizures and nerve pain — in her system, but was otherwise in good physical health. Massey’s family members said she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and was dealing with mental health issues up to her death. Her teenage son, Malachi Hill, said during Friday’s press conference he and his younger sister were living with their respective fathers while their mom sought treatment.
Hill said his mom had visited St. John Hospital’s Behavioral Health Unit in Springfield for a consultation on July 5. She was shot and killed shortly after midnight on July 6. Hill, who was wearing a purple button with his mom’s name and picture on it, said he still hasn’t watched the body camera footage of the night his mother was shot.
“The first night I don't go to my mother's house, this happens. How? Why?” Hill said. “I wonder if I was there, if he would have did anything to me. I don't know.”
Massey’s cousin, Shadia, said Massey’s daughter is having trouble sleeping.
“For her to go to the bathroom, she has to be on FaceTime with me,” Massey said. “For her to get a drink of water she has to call us before she gets into her bed. No, this is the hardest thing that we have ever been through as a Massey. It just breaks my heart that our family has to go through this.”
Grayson has since been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, and has been arrested on three counts of first degree murder. He is being held in jail until trial. A date for that trial is scheduled to be set on August 26.
Mawa Iqbal is a statehouse reporter for WBEZ. Follow @mawa_iqbal.