Sonya Massey’s last words were, “Okay, I’m sorry.”
But they weren’t enough to stop an Illinois sheriff’s deputy from firing his gun at her three times, delivering a fatal shot to her head. That’s what a body camera video, released on Monday, revealed of the deadly encounter at Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois, on July 6.
It all began as a simple 911 call Massey, a Black woman, made to report a suspected prowler, but in minutes, that call resulted in her lying dead on her kitchen floor.
News of her death and the details of that video, particularly the way the Illinois sheriff’s deputy handled the situation, has drawn outrage across the country, reaching all the way up to the White House.
“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” President Biden wrote in a post that appeared on X. “Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss.”
Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today.
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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 22, 2024
Even local leaders in Chicago voiced their displeasure over what transpired with Massey and that sheriff’s deputy. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker responded:
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 18, 2024
I issued the following statement regarding the release of officer-worn body camera footage showing the fatal July 6 shooting of Sonya Massey by a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy: https://t.co/gjRdZN8jt1 pic.twitter.com/ithNvDeHZ1
— Illinois Attorney General (@ILAttyGeneral) July 22, 2024
Sonya Massey should be alive today. Her tragic death underscores the ongoing fear and injustice faced by Black Americans. Our deepest condolences go out to Sonya’s family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/6UY1P98dG5
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) July 22, 2024
The video of Sonya Massey’s murder shows a series of events that were egregious & disgusting. There was no respect for her life, from firing the bullets into her body, to the slowness in rendering aid, to the officer calling her a “b****” after she was shot. Full statement here. pic.twitter.com/ejZ8i76o79
— Rep.Kam Buckner ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ (@RepKamBuckner) July 22, 2024
Last week, an Illinois grand jury indicted the 30-year-old white sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson who shot Massey. However, he pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
The video corroborates the prosecutors’ prior depiction of the moment when Grayson, with a stern command from across the counter, ordered Massey to put down a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot her, and Massey ducked in response before rising briefly. That’s when Grayson fired his gun at her.
Captured in the footage is the arrival of the two deputies just before the stroke of 1 a.m. on July 6 at Massey’s residence in Springfield, about 200 miles southwest of Chicago. Their initial surveillance around the house revealed a black SUV in the driveway with shattered windows.
When the deputies knocked, Massey took three tense minutes to answer the door. The moment it opened, her first words were, “Don’t hurt me.”
After Grayson shot her, he discouraged his partner from getting a medical kit to help.
“You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
He added, “What else do we do? I’m not taking boiling water to the face.”
Seeing that Massey was still breathing, he relented and said he would get his kit, too. The other deputy said, “We can at least try to stop the bleeding.”
Grayson told the responding police, “She had boiling water and came at me. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called out Grayson for being disingenuous in his justification for shooting Massey.
“She needed a helping hand. She did not need a bullet to her face,” Crump said.
When asked why Massey told Grayson, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Crump explained that she had undergone treatment for mental health issues. He noted that she invoked God’s name from the beginning of the encounter and asked for her Bible after the deputies entered.
During Massey’s funeral on Friday, Crump stated that the video, which he and the family had already viewed, would “shock the conscience of America.”
Grayson, fired last week, is being held in the Sangamon County Jail without bond. If convicted, he faces 45 years to life in prison for murder, 6 to 30 years for battery, and 2 to 5 years for misconduct.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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