Since the news of the Sonya Massey shooting, broken reports and outrage have been high as Americans around the country express their shock. State authorities have released the body-camera of the shooting, giving people perspective on the incident.
On Monday, July 22, 2024, the Illinois State Police released body-cam footage of Massey’s fatal police shooting. Massey was shot and killed in her home after she made a 911 call about a possible burglary. The video released by the state department showing what transpired between the officers and Massey was 36 minutes long.
The video was a compilation of body camera recordings of both deputies from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department. According to court documents released by prosecutors, the deputies were at Massey House in Springfield after Massey had called to inform them about a suspicious person.
Bodycam Footage
According to the recording, the two deputies arrived at Massey’s, speaking with her as she turned off a pot of boiling water. Subsequently, Massey lifted the pot when Deputy Sean Grayson shouted that Massey back away from the steaming water pot. Massey responded, saying that she rebuked him in the name of Jesus.
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Grayson had responded with “Huh” before Massey proceeded to repeat her previous statement of rebuking him. Consequently, Grayson, clenching his firearm, told Massey to drop the pot or he was going to shoot her in the face. Upon pulling out his gun, Massey hid behind the counter lifting the pot while telling Grayson she was sorry. At that point, both deputies shouted that she had put down the pot before Grayson proceeded to fire three shots.
Following a few moments of silence, the other deputy called in and requested the presence of medical emergency services. Grayson told the other detective, “Dude, I’m not taking f**king boiling water to the f**king head. And look, it came right to our feet, too.”
Some after the incident and the arrival of emergency services at the scene, Grayson was sighted speaking with another law enforcement officer. Grayson told the officer “Yeah I’m good, this f**king b*tch is crazy.” He stated that Massey had boiling water and came at him with it. Additionally, Grayson claimed that Massey said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus.
Sonya Massey Shooting
The bodycam recording comes two weeks after Massey’s fatal shooting, which took place on July 6, 2024. 36-year-old Sonya Massey called the police on Saturday, July 6, 2024, because she thought there might be a prowler close to her Springfield house. Deputy Grayson was dispatched alongside another deputy to respond to the call. The deputies got to the location around one in the morning when they started a conversation with Massey. However, things took a turn when Massey and Grayson began an altercation over a pot of boiling water.
After Grayson yelled at her to put down the pot, Massey raised her hands in apology during the altercation. During the argument, Massey apologized with her hands up as Grayson shouted at her to drop the pot. With his firearm drawn, Grayson proceeded to fire three shots at Massey, with one directly in her face. The sheriff’s office stated that the incident happened at roughly 1:20 in the morning.
What Happened to Sonya Massey Killer?
According to court documents, Grayson did not turn on his body camera until after he had shot Massey. However, the other deputy at the scene had turned on his body camera as soon as he arrived at the scene. The other deputy camera showed when the deputy initially arrived at Massey’s and their immediate search of the area. During their initial search, they came across a vehicle with shattered windows.
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When the deputies entered to talk to her, she did not understand and gave an unrelated answer to their questions about the car and herself. On Thursday, July 18, 2024, Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney for the victim’s family, filed a murder charge against Grayson. The 30-year-old deputy was charged with first-degree murder and official misconduct after a grand jury indictment. However, court records stated that Grayson had pleaded not guilty while requesting pretrial bail, although it was denied.
The Aftermath
said,According to the footage, Grayson was seen assuring his partner that Massey wouldn’t require medical assistance. The other deputy had told Grayson that he was going to get a medical kit to help Massey, to which Grayson said “Nah, she’s done.”
The other detective ignored him and proceeded to go get the kit, after which Grayson did the same. However, when Grayson returned and asked if there was anything he could do, the other deputy told him no. Consequently, Grayson responded, “All right, I won’t even waste my medication stuff then.”
Sonya Massey’s Family Speaks
Since 2020, there has been an increase in the number of black women who have been gunned down and killed in their homes by the police. Massey became the third high-profile police shooting after the cases of Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson. Crump has connected her death to past police brutality against black people in the US
Additionally, Crump stated that he finds it hard to comprehend that a lady could contact the police in protection only to be killed by them. The accusations, according to Crump, represent “an significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the family of Sonya Massey.”
As stated in Crump’s press release from Wednesday, July 17, 2024, “This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have suffered unbearably since learning of this tragedy.” We are still dedicated to learning the facts about what transpired and figuring out the shortcomings that made this terrible death possible. Crump states that Massey’s funeral took place early on Friday, July 19, 2024.
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On Monday, July 22, 2024, Crump attended the footage release news conference along with Massey’s family. Crump stated that although Massey struggled with her mental health, she did not act aggressively toward the deputies. Massey’s father, James Wilburn, claimed that the police originally gave him false information about the shooting. Wilburn said he was informed that some prowlers had broken in and killed his daughter.
However, it wasn’t until his brother read about the incident online that he knew what happened. Wilburn stated that the police never told him that a deputy was involved in the shooting.
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