Horrific new bodycam footage shows black woman being shot in face by white cop and killed in her home after calling 911 to report a prowler
The bodycam footage of Sonya Massey, a black Illinois woman who was shot by a white police officer, was released Monday by order of the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office.
The video’s release was delayed at the request of Massey’s family, but it was posted to the Illinois State Police YouTube account this afternoon.
On July 6, officers first responded to Massey’s doorstep in Springfield after she called 911 around 1 a.m. to report a possible burglar in the area.
At 1:21 a.m., Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson is seen on his partner’s body camera pulling out his gun. He pointed the 9mm pistol at Massey, 36, who was holding a pot of boiling water in the kitchen.
Seconds after he told her to drop the jar, she bent over and said, βI’m sorry,β before Grayson shot her in the face.
An officer’s bodycam shows Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson outside Sonya Massey’s door on July 6 after she called them to report a burglar.
The moment before Grayson shoots Massey in her kitchen
After the shooting, Grayson was fired and charged with first-degree murder.
Before she was shot, Massey and the officers appeared to be arguing over the pot of boiling water in it.
Prosecutors said Grayson aggressively yelled at Massey to move it from the stove to the counter.
She took it off and said, βI rebuke you in the name of Jesus.β
Then Grayson grabbed his 9mm pistol and said, βI swear to God I’m going to shoot you in the face.β
Both officers, their weapons drawn, ordered her to drop the jar. She then apologized for what she had said and ducked behind the counter.
Grayson walked around the corner of the counter to gain visual contact with Massey. He tried to tell her to drop the jar, but interrupted himself and opened fire.
Grayson is seen peeking around the corner of the counter approximately 30 seconds after he first opened fire
After Massey was killed, prosecutors said Grayson stopped the other officer from getting his first aid kit.
βThe other deputy continued to render aid and remained with Ms. Massey until medical assistance arrived,β First Assistant District Attorney Mary Rodgers wrote.
She added that Grayson “at no time attempted to render assistance to Ms. Massey.”
The video also shows that Grayson refused to turn on his bodycam until he shot Massey.
Massey’s family held a funeral service for her on Friday, joined by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.
Crump has represented numerous families of Black victims of police shootings, including Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Crump’s law firm, which specializes in personal injury, released a statement Monday morning saying the Massey family would be “speaking with several national leaders on Monday.”
“It’s a deeply disturbing video,” the civil rights attorney said. “It will shock the conscience of America.”
He added that the names Grayson called Massey in the video were “outrageous on every level” and showed a lack of humanity.
Raymond Massey, Sonya’s uncle, also spoke at a news conference, thanking the Illinois State Police for their work investigating the shooting. He also thanked prosecutors for filing charges against Grayson.
He said Sonya was “a beautiful person” who “spread love.”