BETH HUNDSDORFER
Capitol News Illinois
news@capitolnewsillinois.com
Sonya Massey’s last words were: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” followed by “I’m sorry,” as Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson put his hand on his 9 mm pistol and threatened to shoot her in the face.
Seconds later, he did.
Grayson, 30, who is white, was charged last week on counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct for the fatal shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman.
In a video released by Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, the July 6 shooting of Massey in her home near Springfield shows the events that unfolded at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6.
Grayson and an unidentified Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at the home in response to a 911 call made by Massey reporting a prowler. As the other officer checked the outside of the home, Grayson, who had not turned his body camera on, can be heard knocking insistently at Massey’s door.
After a few minutes, Massey responds she is coming.
“Are you coming to the door or not? All right. Hurry up!” Grayson said.
The encounter is mostly routine, although at times Massey seems flustered or disoriented, telling the officers that she called them for help.
“I heard someone outside,” she said.
On the video, Grayson and the other officer tell her that they didn’t find anyone outside.
They seem prepared to leave when Grayson asks Massey about a vehicle parked in the driveway with windows broken out. Massey tells Grayson that the car is not hers. As the unidentified officer runs the plate, Grayson goes inside with Massey.
Neighbors interviewed by Capitol News Illinois said Massey was recovering from surgery and was involved in a dispute with another neighbor who threw a brick through her car window.
Grayson asks for her identification. Massey proceeds to tell the officers that she has paperwork for them.
She tells the officers she has water on the stove and asks if she can take it off.
“We don’t need a fire in here,” Grayson said.
Massey moves a pot from the stove to a counter. Noticing that the unidentified officer moved backward into the living room, she asks why he was moving. He responds he was moving away from the hot water.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she tells the officers.
Grayson, who is still in the living room separated from the kitchen by a counter, puts his hand on his pistol and tells Massey, “You better not. I swear to God, I’ll f—ing shoot you right in the f—ing face.”
Grayson then pulls his weapon and aims at Massey.
“Drop the f—ing pot! Drop the f—ing pot!”
Massey puts her hands up and ducks down.
Body camera video shows the moments before Sonya Massey was shot to death in her kitchen. Deputy Sean Grayson has been charged with her murder. (Footage from Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office)
Grayson, still on the other side of the counter, moves towards Massey and fires three shots. One strikes Massey in the face.
The other officer, who has also drawn his gun, holsters his gun and tells Grayson that he’s going to get his medical kit.
“She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot,” Grayson tells him.
“Let her just … There’s nothing we can do,” he says later.
The unidentified officer begins to put pressure on Massey’s wound until paramedics arrive. He notes Massey is still breathing.
In the video, Grayson can be heard telling another officer who just arrived at the scene that Massey came at him with boiling water.
As paramedics prepare to take Massey to the hospital, it’s clear from the video that police don’t yet know the name of the woman shot on the kitchen floor, one of the paramedics gives a first name: Sonya. And offers that they had been there earlier in the day.
Grayson turned his body camera on immediately after the shooting. Body cameras passively record and upload up to two minutes of video before being activated.
There is video but no audio from Grayson’s body camera at the time of the shooting.
In his video, Grayson is moving towards Massey, who has her hands in the air with potholders. As he comes towards her, she appears to pick up the pot again, but it looks upended. His arm partially obscures the shot.
Immediately following the shooting, Grayson is on the radio with dispatch asking if they have any history of mental health calls involving Massey.
On video, an officer asks Grayson if he’s ok.
“Yeah, I’m ok. This f—ing b—h is crazy,” he responded.
He told other officers at the scene, “She set it up on purpose, so it is what it is,” he said, later adding he “didn’t have a choice.”
And that he was “barely” missed with boiling water.
Massey’s killing caught the attention of the White House on Monday. President Joe Biden issued a statement commending Milhiser for acting quickly to charge Grayson.
“When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives,” Biden said in the statement. “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.”
Black Lives Matter Springfield issued a warning regarding the video that it called distressing and heartbreaking.
“We are encouraging our black community to take care of themselves during this time. Please prioritize your mental and physical safety by deciding whether or not to watch the footage,” the organization’s statement said.
Milhiser released a statement with the 36-minute video.
“My prayers are with the family of Sonya Massey, and I commend the Illinois State Police for conducting an expedited investigation into her tragic death,” Milhiser said. “The State’s Attorney’s Office is dedicated to pursuing justice through the prosecution of this case.”
Massey’s family has hired renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Breonna Taylor.
Grayson had worked for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department since May 2023, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. He was fired after the criminal charges were issued. He remains detained at an undisclosed location until trial.
The work status of the deputy who was with Grayson at the time of the shooting is unknown.
That unidentified officer’s body camera video ends with him standing at the back of his car, breathing heavily. He wipes Massey’s blood from his trembling hands, mumbles curses and takes short, irregular breaths. Emergency lights line the residential neighborhood.
Another officer approaches and asked, “You good?”
“I’m fine.”
