In the early hours of July 6, Sonya Massey called 911 looking for help with a suspected intruder. But within minutes of the officers entering her Springfield, Illinois, home, the 36-year-old mother was dead — fatally shot by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. The police killing, which sparked protests in Massey’s name and drew the attention of President Joe Biden, was caught on tape, detailed in a 36-minute body-cam video released on Monday.
The sheriff’s office has fired Grayson, and a review of the Illinois State Police investigation conducted by a use-of-force expert found the deputy was not “justified in his use of deadly force,” per the state’s attorney in a news release. As of last week, Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder.
Below, everything we know about Massey’s death.
Why did Sonya Massey call 911?
The events began unfolding when Massey reported a possible prowler. In the body-cam footage, Massey, wearing a long white robe, answers the door for the two deputies who arrived at the scene at 12:50 a.m. After scoping out her yard, the deputies join Massey inside.
What happened after the police arrived at Sonya Massey’s house?
The footage shows officers asking Massey a few questions — “You’re not in trouble,” Grayson at one point tells Massey after asking for her last name — and soon Grayson points to a boiling pot of water on the stove. “We don’t need a fire while we’re here,” he says, and Massey rushes over to turn off the pot. She picks up the pot and begins pouring the hot water into the sink. The second deputy backs away, and Massey asks calmly, “Where are you going?”
“Away from your hot steaming water,” he says. Massey and the officer both seem to laugh, and she says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” In an instant, the tenor in the room changes.
“You better fucking not, or I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you in the fucking face,” Grayson says in the video. After he draws his gun and points it at Massey, she lifts the pot, ducks, and says, “I’m sorry.” Both officers demand she “drop the fucking pot,” before three shots are fired. One deputy can be heard reporting “shots fired” and calling for EMS before Grayson discourages his partner. “Nah, she’s done. You can go get [your kit], but that’s a head shot,” he says. “Dude, I’m not taking fucking boiling water to the fucking head. And look, it came right to our feet, too.” Paramedics later took Massey to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, per The Guardian.
Why did Sonya Massey’s mother call the police the day before her daughter was killed?
On July 5, the day before Massey was killed, Massey’s mother called the police to say she was worried about her daughter, who was having a mental breakdown. Massey’s mother was adamant that Sonya was “not a danger to herself” and not a danger to her. “I don’t want you guys to hurt her. Please,” she said in a call to 911, CNN reports.
“When she gets upset, then she thinks everybody’s after her — like paranoid schizophrenic,” Massey’s mom said to the dispatcher before pleading for authorities not to send “any combative policemen who are prejudiced, please. I’m scared of the police.” It’s unclear if the police who were dispatched the following day were told about her mental health, per The Guardian.
Sean Grayson was reportedly discharged from the Army in 2016.
According to law-enforcement records, Grayson had worked at six different agencies since 2020, NBC News reports. During a four-year period, he worked part-time stints at three separate police departments, as well as full-time gigs at another police department and two sheriff’s offices. Prior to his time in law enforcement, court records show he was charged with two DUI misdemeanors in 2015 and 2016.
IBM News also reports that Grayson was discharged from the Army in 2016 for an unspecified “serious offense.” The outlet obtained records from the Kincaid Police Department, Grayson’s previous employer, which show that Grayson was released from the Fort Riley Army installation in Kansas for “misconduct.” Army officials told IBM Grayson was a “wheeled vehicle mechanic” from May 2014 to February 2016, but did not specify the incident he’d been discharged for. However, former Air Force prosecutor and University of Illinois law professor Anthony Ghiotto has his suspicions: “A good way of looking at it is if it would be a misdemeanor in the civilian world, it’s not going to be a ‘serious offense,’” he said.
How have public figures responded?
After the footage was released on Monday, President Biden posted a statement to X sending his condolences to Massey’s family and urging Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to “increase trust and accountability in America’s police force.” “Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” he wrote. “Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
In a press conference the same day, civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Massey family and previously gained prominence representing the families of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols, told local outlets, including Fox2 Now, “We’re going to make sure that Sonya Massey’s death was not in vain.” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, was also on hand Monday. “I want justice for my baby,” he told reporters.
“While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable, and we will demand transparency at every step,” Crump added. “Let us pray to comfort the grieving.”
On Tuesday, Vice-President Kamala Harris also issued a statement via the White House, calling Massey’s death “senseless.” “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” she wrote. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve.”
Has Sean Grayson been charged?
Last week, a Sangamon County grand jury indicted Grayson on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, John Milhiser, the state’s attorney for the county, told CNN. Grayson has entered a not-guilty plea and was denied pretrial release, the outlet reports. Meanwhile, Massey’s loved ones and supporters have continued to demand justice for her and the two teenage children who survive her.
The Cut has reached out to both the Sangamon County sheriff’s office and Crump for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
This post has been updated.