Video shows Illinois deputy shooting unarmed black woman who called 911 for help: ‘Senseless on every level’

Prosecutors have released bodycam footage showing an unarmed black woman being shot and killed in her home by an Illinois sheriff’s deputy this month. The deputies had arrived at the home of the victim, Sonya Massey, after she called 911 to report an intruder.

The video shows Sean Grayson and another Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy inspecting the property surrounding Massey’s homes on July 6. They engaged in what appeared to be a normal conversation with Massey for 18 minutes, but the incident took a deadly turn when Grayson ordered Massey to drop a pot of hot water and then shot her in the face, killing her.

Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of authority, following a week-long investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office. According to records, Grayson is currently being held in the Menard County Detention Center, the Washington Post reported. If found guilty of murder, he faces a life sentence.

The incident

At approximately 12:50 a.m. on July 6, Grayson and another officer went to Massey’s Springfield home after receiving her 911 call. They investigated the area and discovered a car had been broken into, but did not find a burglar.

Prosecutor Mary Rodgers said officers then knocked on Massey’s door and spoke to her before going in to make sure it was safe. The video shows officers heading to the kitchen when Grayson notices a pot on the stove. He has Massey take the pot away to make sure there isn’t an accidental fire. The footage shows Massey turning off the stove, carrying the pot to her sink, then turning on the faucet.

As the other officer backs into Massey’s living room, she asks, “Where are you going?” “Away from your hot, steamy water,” one of the officers replies.

“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey says, to which one of the MPs replies, “Huh?” “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she repeats.

Grayson warns her against it and says with a curse word: “I swear to God, I’ll shoot you right in the… face.”

Despite being far away from Massey and taking cover, Grayson draws his gun and points it at her. “Okay, sorry,” Massey says, holding the pot in front of her and ducking behind the cabinets to take cover.

Rodgers said Grayson then approached Massey and “aggressively yelled at her,” before opening fire, firing three times and hitting Massey once in the face.

Grayson did not turn on his body camera until later. The other officer, however, had it on when he arrived at the house. Prosecutors stressed that Massey, who weighed 110 pounds, posed no threat to Grayson, who is 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds.

The other deputy told Grayson he was going to his vehicle to get a first aid kit, Rodgers said. Grayson initially asked him not to bother with it, but they later brought the kit and the other deputy rendered aid until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Grayson allegedly defended the crime, telling the other officer that the hot water reached Massey’s feet before he shot him. “What else are we supposed to do? I’m not putting hot boiling water in your … face,” he said, using a curse word.

Massey, 36, was taken by paramedics to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. She eventually died.

A use-of-force expert with the Illinois State Police compared the shooting “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 hit.” Rodgers, meanwhile, said Grayson’s “disregard for his training as a police officer and his disregard for human life demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger to the people of the community.”

Massey’s family is represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who called the incident “heinous” and “senseless on every level.” “She needed a helping hand. She didn’t need a bullet in the face,” Crump reportedly said at a press conference.