Bodycam footage released Monday by the Illinois State Police showed Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson shooting 36-year-old Sonya Massey, a Black woman, who was tending to a pot of boiling water. Grayson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct for his actions. He was also fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrived at Massey’s house in the early morning hours of July 6 after Massey made a 911 call concerned that someone could be outside of her house. While Massey was looking for her identification, Grayson pointed towards a pot on the stove, which Massey then went to turn off, and one of the deputies said, “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.” The deputy who was responding with Grayson backed out of the kitchen while Massey turned off the water and took the pot towards the sink.
After the deputies told Massey that they were stepping back from her hot water, she responded “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson replied, “You better f— not. I swear to God I’ll f— shoot you right in your f— face.” The deputy then pulled out his gun, ordered Massey to drop the pot, and Massey released the pot and then ducked, saying “OK I’m sorry.” As Grayson approached with a gun in hand, Massey could be seen throwing water in the deputy’s direction. Grayson then fired his weapon, striking her in the head.
When talking to his partner after the shooting, Grayson said, “I’m not taking f— boiling water to the f— head. And look, it f— came right to our feet too.”
In the days after the shooting, Massey’s family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump and staged a demonstration outside of the Sangamon County Building.
Upon release of the bodycam footage, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said:
Grayson had other options available that he should have used. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office. He will now face judgment by the criminal justice system and will never again work in law enforcement. Ms. Massey needlessly lost her life, and her family deserves answers. I trust the legal process will provide them.
US President Joe Biden added to the voices supporting Massey’s family. The president said:
Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.
Police shootings of Black Americans have been a topic of significant concern in the US, especially since the dawn of the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement got its start in 2014 after the police shooting of Michael Brown and reached its zenith in 2020 after the shooting of George Floyd by ex-officer Derrick Chauvin. According to the Washington Post, 138 Black people have been shot by US police thus far in 2024, six of whom were unarmed.
Grayson is being held without bail.
