Authorities Release Body Cam Footage from Deputy Shooting Black Woman in Her Home

Body-worn camera footage shared by the Illinois State Police on Monday showed a deputy shooting a Black woman in her home after she had previously called 911 to report an intruder.

The harrowing video, released on Monday afternoon, shows former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, and another deputy knocking on the door of 36-year-old Sonya Massey after she called police to report a “prowler,” in the early morning hours of July 6. 

In the video, Massey allows Grayson and another deputy, whose name authorities haven’t revealed, to enter her Springfield home. The two deputies can be seen asking Massey for her name and identification. At one point in the video, Grayson appears to point his finger toward Massey’s kitchen, where a pot of boiling water is sitting on the stove. Massey then moves to grab the pot off the stove, as one of the deputies can be heard saying, “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.”

Massey then says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” to which Grayson says, “You better f-cking not, I swear to God. I’ll f-cking shoot you right in your f-cking face.”

Massey immediately apologizes, and Grayson pulls out his gun and points it at her, telling her to “drop the f-cking pot.” Massey crouches down, and Grayson then fires three shots, one of which hit Massey, authorities had previously said.

The other deputy can be heard saying in the footage that he was going to get a medical kit from his vehicle. But in the video, Grayson tells him not to because Massey was shot in the head. Grayson did not have his body-cam on until after the shooting while the other deputy’s body-cam recorded the entire encounter.

The other deputy can be seen rendering aid to Massey until an ambulance arrived. Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said in a Facebook post on July 8 that preliminary findings of an autopsy reveal that Massey died from a gunshot wound.

The footage was released just days after Grayson was arraigned in Sangamon County Court on three counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count of aggravated battery with a firearm and another of official misconduct, according to court records. Grayson pleaded not guilty to all charges.

(You can view the body camera footage here, though note the video contains graphic footage that viewers may find upsetting.)

Massey’s family has hired renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said at Massey's funeral on Friday that the footage would show a crime comparable to the lynching of Chicago teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi, the murder of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer, and the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

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Illinois State Police investigated the shooting, and Grayson was later terminated from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, the office announced Wednesday. The office also apologized to Massey’s family and friends, calling the shooting a “tragic incident.”

“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “The actions taken by Deputy Grayson do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole.”

Massey’s funeral was held on Friday at Ruby Funeral Services and Chapel in Springfield.

“Today is about peace, today is about my big sister. It’s not about that man that’s gonna rot in jail, it’s about my big sister,” Massey’s younger sister, Breeanna Toles, said at the service.

Massey’s family watched the body cam footage for the first time on Wednesday. Massey’s death has gained national attention and sparked protests in Springfield. On Wednesday, about 200 people gathered at the Springfield NAACP building to express solidarity with Massey and her family.

Crump held a press conference on Monday afternoon after the footage was released. Standing with Massey’s family, Crump called the video “shocking” and “disturbing.”

“Where is the humanity?” Crump said of Grayson’s actions.

Crump lambasted Grayson for “(trying) to justify” his actions in the video. Grayson can be heard in the video saying after the shooting that Massey “came at me with boiling water.” Crump said that Grayson can be seen walking around the corner before firing his gun.

“If you’re in fear for your life, you don’t walk towards the person,” Crump said. “He could’ve did any number of things. He could’ve created distance, he could’ve used a taser, he could’ve called for backup.”

A few of Massey’s family members spoke at the press conference, including her father, James Wilburn. He said the Sheriff’s Office was an “embarrassment,” and called on politicians to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act—a police reform bill that would address racial profiling and use of force.

“The only time I’m gonna see my baby again is when I leave this world,” Wilburn said. “I don’t ever want anybody else in the United States to join this league.”

Wilburn said he learned that Grayson had previously been convicted of driving while under the influence. A county spokesperson told The Illinois Times that the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office was aware that Grayson had two misdemeanor DUI convictions in Macoupin County related to incidents in 2015 and 2016. A former Springfield police chief also told The Times that misdemeanor DUI convictions don’t automatically disqualify a person from being hired as a police officer in the state.

At another press conference Tuesday afternoon, Wilburn called on Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign, criticizing the way the department has handled the incident.

Crump said Tuesday that he has been informed that the U.S. Department of Justice is opening an investigation into Massey’s death.

President Joe Biden released a statement Monday, saying that he was “heartbroken” for Massey’s family and that her family “deserves justice.”

“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” the President said. “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.”

Grayson was remanded to the custody of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office while awaiting trial, according to court records. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26.