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Early in the disastrous July 6 encounter between Sonya Massey and now-terminated Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, she told the officer and his partner, “I love y’all, thank y’all.”
Massey, who reportedly suffered from mental illness, had called 911 a few minutes before 1 a.m., asking for police to respond to her home in Springfield, Illinois. She told the dispatcher that she heard “banging” noises outside, and thought it might be a prowler.
Roughly 30 minutes later, she lay dying on her kitchen floor.
Here’s what we know about how things went down:
Sonya Lynaye Wilburn-Massey was born February 12, 1988, in San Diego. The mother of two teenagers, Malachi Hill Massey and Jeanette Massey, “loved to do hair and spend time with her family,” according to her obituary.
Massey had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but was managing it with medication, her daughter said.
The situation unfolds
At 12:49 a.m., Massey dialed 911 and says she is “hearing stuff” she finds suspicious, requesting police to “come and see” what is going on. Grayson and his partner, who has not been publicly identified, arrived at her house and use their flashlights to search the yard, bodycam footage shows.
The officers knocked on Massey’s front door, but she didn’t answer until around 1:15 a.m., according to the footage. They found her to be “calm,” and “not aggressive,” although “perhaps unwell,” court records say.
“Are you doing alright, mentally?” one asked.
“Yes, I took my medicine,” Massey replied, according to the footage, which was captured by Grayson’s partner’s bodycam. (Grayson didn’t activate his own bodycam until after the shooting, according to prosecutors.)
While Grayson’s partner checked out the rest of the small house, Grayson spotted a pot of water on the nearby stove and told Massey to shut it off.
“We don’t need a fire while we’re here,” he says.
Things begin to go sideways
In the chaotic moments that followed, Massey picked up the pot, which prompted Grayson and his partner to retreat. Massey asked where they’re going, to which Grayson said they are trying to get away from her “hot, steaming water.” A seemingly confused Massey then asked, “Away from the hot, steaming water? I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson reacted by drawing his weapon, shouting, “You better f*****g not! I swear to God, I’ll f*****g shoot you right in your f*****g face! Drop the fucking pot! Drop the fucking pot! Drop it!”
At 1:21 a.m., Grayson fired three shots at Massey, killing her with a bullet to the face. His partner told him he is going to get his first-aid kit from their patrol car, but Grayson said that “it’s a headshot,” and “there’s nothing we can do.”
Two minutes later, Grayson radioed the dispatcher and asked if police had previously been called to Massey’s home over mental health concerns. At one point, an officer—it is unclear whose voice it is—told dispatch that Massey’s gunshot wound was “self-inflicted.”
Emergency medical crews and additional law enforcement units began to arrive, and at 1:47 a.m., Massey was taken to nearby HSHS St. John’s Hospital emergency room, where she is pronounced dead.
The aftermath
Autopsy results released on July 8 by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon say Massey died of a single gunshot wound to the head, and classified her death as a homicide. Three days after that, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced he has been retained by the Massey family.
On July 17, Grayson was indicted on first-degree murder charges. It later emerged that he has worked for six different law enforcement agencies over the past four years, which raised questions about his service record. It remains unclear why Grayson bounced around so frequently.
The next day, Grayson pleaded not guilty and is denied bail. Massey’s funeral was held July 19.
On Monday, authorities released the bodycam footage of Massey’s final minutes. A protest march followed a few hours later. On Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker met with the Massey family, and the Department of Justice opened its own investigation into the shooting.
A nation reacts
President Joe Biden issued a statement Monday, saying, “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.”
Massey’s loved ones, Biden went on, deserve justice. “I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.”
In her own statement, vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said, “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.”
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell also issued a statement on Monday, lambasting Grayson for his deadly decision.
“Grayson had other options available that he should have used,” Campbell said. “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.”
