Shooting of Sonya Massey: Illinois police release bodycam video of fatal shooting of black woman in her home

CNN
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On Monday, body camera footage was released showing police shooting Sonya Massey. The 36-year-old black woman had called 911 for help. The case led to a murder charge against a deputy sheriff.

The 36-minute video released by Illinois State Police includes body camera footage from each of two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies who were called to Massey’s home after midnight on July 6 after Massey called 911 to report a possible “burglar” at her Springfield home, according to a court document filed by prosecutors.

In the footage, Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy speak calmly with Massey inside her home as she walks to the stove to put down a pot of boiling water. Then she takes the pot and the other deputy steps back, “away from your hot, steamy water,” he says.

“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she replies.

“Huh?” says the MP.

“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she repeats.

“You better not fucking do that, or I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you in the fucking face,” Grayson says.

He then pulls out his gun and points it at her, causing her to duck and say, “I’m sorry” while lifting the pot, the video shows.

“Drop the damn pot!” both MPs shout.

Three shots are heard. After a few seconds of silence, an officer says, “Shots fired” and calls an ambulance.

“Dude, I’m not putting fucking boiling water on my fucking head. And look, it went down to our feet too,” Grayson says.

Minutes after the shooting, Grayson is talking to another officer. “She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water,” he says in the video. “She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”

CNN has asked Grayson’s attorney for comment.

The video was released about two weeks after the fatal shooting and just days after Grayson was charged in her death.

Grayson, 30, was indicted by a grand jury last week on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of office. He pleaded not guilty and was not released pending trial, court records show.

Massey is one of several black women killed by police in their own homes in recent years, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson. In a press conference Monday afternoon, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, put her death in the context of other cases of police brutality against black people across the United States.

“Until we get justice for Sonya Massey, we condemn this discriminatory criminal justice system in the name of Jesus,” he said.

Video shows history and consequences

Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he fatally shot Massey, charging documents say. The other officer had activated his body camera when he arrived at the scene, documents say.

According to the other officer’s body camera footage, the incident began with officers walking around Massey’s yard and finding a vehicle with broken windows. They then knock on the door and speak to her, and she struggles to understand and answer some questions about the vehicle and about herself.

As they talk in their living room, officers notice the pot on the burning stove and one says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.” Massey gets up and turns off the stove, then a shootout ensues.

Immediately after the shooting, the video shows Grayson telling his partner Massey that he does not need medical attention.

The other deputy says he’s going to get a first aid kit, but Grayson replies, “Nah, she’s done. You can get it, but that’s a shot to the head.”

Grayson later goes to his vehicle to get his own medication. When he gets home, he asks if there is anything he can do, but is told there is nothing he can do.

“Well, then I won’t waste my medication,” says Grayson.

Next, Grayson leaves the house and speaks to a group of police officers outside. “Yeah, I’m fine, that fucking bitch is crazy,” he says, according to the footage.

At Monday’s press conference, Crump, along with members of her family, said Massey had mental health issues but was not aggressive toward officers.

“She needed a helping hand,” he said. “She didn’t need a bullet in the face.”

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, said he initially received conflicting information from law enforcement.

“I was under the impression that a burglar broke in and killed my baby. They never said it was a deputy-involved shooting until my brother read it on the Internet,” Wilburn said at the press conference.

“We were led to believe that the intruder – or someone in the neighborhood – might have killed her. We were absolutely shocked to find out that it was a police officer who shot her,” Wilburn told CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday night.

“We’re used to having ‘the talk’ with boys, but now we seem to need to talk to our girls about … their interactions with police,” Wilburn said.

Wilburn said his daughter’s death broke his heart.

“Sonya was a real daddy’s girl. She never ended a conversation — text, phone or in person — without saying, ‘Daddy, I love you.’ And the last message I have saved on my voicemail from my daughter was, ‘Daddy, I love you,'” he said.

Crump told Laura Coates he expected the release of the video showing the “heinous murder of this innocent woman” to galvanize the community.

“It’s so senseless. I mean, it’s disturbing. This video is reminiscent of the last presidential campaign in 2020, when the George Floyd video encouraged our community to take action.

“And I believe that this Sonya Massey video will encourage our community to take action in this election in 2024 – because Sonya Massey deserves better,” Crump said.

Since the shooting, local and state officials have criticized the deputy’s actions as an unjustified use of deadly force.

A review of the Illinois State Police investigation into the shooting “does not support the finding that … Grayson’s use of deadly force was justified,” District Attorney John Milhiser said in a July 17 news release.

In a court document filed by the state last week, prosecutors said a “use of force” expert reviewed the body camera footage and concluded the use of deadly force was not justified.

“(The expert) compared the scenario to a police officer intentionally and unnecessarily placing himself in front of a moving vehicle and then justifying the use of force by fear of being struck,” prosecutors wrote.

The sheriff’s office said Grayson was fired. “It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained and did not meet our standards,” the office said.

CNN experts offered a similar analysis.

“Effective policing depends on good judgment in highly stressful situations,” said Josh Campbell, CNN security correspondent and former federal agent. “While dousing Massey with boiling water might justify an officer’s use of deadly force to stop a threat, we certainly don’t see officers in this video trying alternative options, such as walking away and putting distance between themselves and Massey.”

“There were a number of ways to prevent this, starting with better tactics from the beginning,” said John Miller, CNN’s senior law enforcement and intelligence analyst. “But even if you take that away and limit observations to the final seconds, there was still the possibility of a calmer dialogue, more distance between the suspect and them, a taser instead of a firearm.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday that Massey’s family “deserves justice.”

“I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they endure this unimaginable 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,” Biden said in a written statement.

“I commend the swift actions of the Springfield District Attorney’s Office. As we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort those who are grieving. Congress must now pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake,” the President added.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement Monday calling the footage “horrific” and expressing condolences to Massey’s family.

“Given the public reaction to the release of the footage, I call for calm as this case progresses through the criminal justice system,” he said.

“In Illinois, we have ensured that the law requires independent investigations after officer-involved shootings. In this case, the Illinois State Police’s investigation and subsequent referral to the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office appears to have met the letter and spirit of the law by providing the necessary transparency and moving toward accountability,” Raoul added.

This story has been updated with additional information.