Former Illinois sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson claims he shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, because he didn’t trust his stun gun to work through her clothing.
“I didn’t want to take the chance of the taser malfunctioning,” Grayson testified in court on Monday (October 27), per NBC News. “The taser doesn’t work on everybody.”
During Monday’s court appearance, Grayson recounted the moments leading up to the July 24 shooting of Massey as he and fellow deputy Dawson Farley responded to her Springfield home after she called police about a possible prowler.
Massey was holding a pot of boiling water in her kitchen just before Grayson shot and killed her. Grayson said he moved toward Massey after she picked up the pot because he wanted to make sure she didn’t have another weapon. The former deputy testified that he planned to detain her for aggravated assault on a police officer, a claim prosecutors said wasn’t included in his original report.
When Massey told him, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Grayson said he interpreted the phrase as a threat.
“I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do,” Grayson said. “I believed she was going to throw the water at me.”
Grayson admitted he was carrying a stun gun but chose not to use it. He claimed the Taser required both prongs to make contact with the skin to be effective, which he wasn’t sure would happen given her clothing. So instead, Grayson said he drew his gun.
“We are trained to use force that will gain compliance,” he said.
When defense attorney Daniel Fultz asked if he believed using his gun was the only option to stop the alleged threat, Grayson replied, “Yes.”
Prosecutors also argued that Grayson didn’t include in his official report that he cursed at Massey or threatened to shoot her. Body camera footage shows Grayson saying, “You better f—— not, I swear to God I’ll f—— shoot you in your f—— face.”
Grayson claimed that he didn’t include every detail in the report because “there was body camera video that showed the incident.”
Expert witnesses for the prosecution have testified that Grayson was not under a credible threat and that his actions escalated the situation. The defense’s expert argued Monday that use of force can serve as a de-escalation technique. Farley, however, testified that Massey never made him feel threatened.
Grayson is facing charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and official misconduct.
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