2024 police killing of a woman in Illinois, U.S.
On July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in her home by Sean Grayson, a white deputy of the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office in Woodside Township near Springfield, Illinois, United States.
Massey called 911 about a possible prowler. Grayson and an unidentified deputy responded and found nothing after searching the vicinity. Moving inside her house, the deputies requested her ID, and Massey began searching for it. The situation escalated quickly when a deputy asked Massey to remove a pot of boiling water from the stove. Massey lifted the pot and said twice, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus." Grayson threatened to shoot her in the face and drew his service pistol. His partner did the same and Grayson repeatedly yelled, "Drop the f*cking pot," and Massey apologized. Grayson then shot her three times, hitting Massey in the head and ultimately killing her. The unidentified officer stated that he was going to get their medical kit, but Grayson told him not to.
Following the shooting, Grayson was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff's office and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.
Incident.
Early on the morning of July 6, 2024, Massey called 911 as she believed that someone had broken into her home. Two deputies, Grayson and the second unidentified deputy, responded and subsequently searched Massey's backyard and the immediate vicinity of her property. Finding no evidence of any suspicious activity or persons, the officers approached Massey's front door and Grayson knocked multiple times to no avail. After approximately three minutes, Massey opened the door and engaged in conversation with the deputies. The deputies informed Massey that they had not found anything of note in their search while Massey used her cell phone. As the deputies prepared to end the exchange, the unidentified officer walked around the side of Massey's house to report the license plate number of a vehicle in her driveway that Massey informed deputies was not hers. Massey and Grayson continued to engage in conversation. After the unidentified officer walked back to Massey's front door, the three entered Massey's residence.
Inside the home, Grayson repeatedly asked Massey to provide her driver's license and discussed the vehicle parked in her driveway. As the unidentified deputy looked around the residence, Massey can be seen looking through a small stack of papers and her purse. At one point, Massey asked Grayson to hand her a Bible. After around a minute and a half of searching, the deputies mention a pot of water boiling on Massey's stove and requested that she check on it, as they "don't need a fire while we're here." After Massey picked up the pot of water and walked from her stove to her sink, the unidentified deputy and Grayson moved backwards. Massey asked the officers what they were doing, as in why are they backing up. Grayson replied that he was distancing himself from the pot of boiling water. Massey repeated her question, and said, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus." After Massey repeated her statement at Grayson's prompting, Grayson drew his gun and replied, "You better fucking not, I swear to God I'll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face."
The unidentified deputy also drew his gun. Massey immediately apologized by saying: "OK, I'm sorry" and dropped to the floor behind the kitchen counter, however, both deputies advanced from the living room towards the kitchen with their weapons trained on Massey. After several seconds of shouting orders for Massey to drop the pot of water, Grayson fired three shots at her, fatally wounding her. CBS News reported that footage of the shooting showed that "Massey may be holding the pot of water above her head right before the shots are fired." The unidentified deputy radioed that shots had been fired and that there was a woman with a headshot wound. He began to leave to grab his medical kit, however, Grayson told him not to, saying that, "she's done". Massey was later pronounced dead at St. John's Hospital in Springfield.
Body camera footage of the shooting was released to the public on July 22.
People involved.
Sonya Massey.
Sonya Lynaye Wilburn-Massey was born on February 12, 1988, and was 36 years old at the time of her death. She had a son and a daughter.
Sean Grayson.
Sean Patrick Grayson, the 30-year-old deputy from Riverton, Illinois, responsible for killing Massey, worked for six different Illinois police departments between 2020 and 2024. Following the shooting incident, Grayson's employment was terminated. While enlisted in the Army, Grayson had two misdemeanor DUI convictions in 2015 and 2016. The first DUI led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for serious misconduct. After his discharge, Grayson resided in Junction City, Kansas.
Grayson falsely arrested Kyle Adkins in 2021. Grayson claimed there was a warrant and evidence against Adkins, which were later proven to be non-existent.
In 2022, Grayson, then a deputy for the Logan County Sheriff's Office, was involved in a high-speed chase where he ignored orders from his superiors to terminate the pursuit. He reached speeds of 110 mph, turned off his lights and siren, and only stopped after hitting a deer. This resulted in a meeting between Grayson and his superiors about his misconduct and the possibility of firing Grayson. However, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office absolved him and never reported the misconduct.
According to his lawyer, Grayson has stage 3 colon cancer, which was diagnosed in the fall of 2023. His lawyer also said Grayson was not a threat to the community because he was compliant and turned himself in within a half-hour after his arrest warrant was issued.
Aftermath.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation of the incident, which was turned over to the Illinois State Police. The investigation was completed within 10 days. Within two weeks of the shooting, the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office fired Grayson. The second, unidentified officer was placed on administrative leave.
On July 17, 2024, a grand jury indicted Grayson on five counts, including three counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of official misconduct. Grayson is being held in jail without bail. State Attorney John Milhiser's review did "not support a finding that … Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force", and prosecutors compared him to "an officer intentionally and unnecessarily putting himself in front of a moving vehicle and then justifying use of force because of fear of being struck".
Massey's family retained Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who has represented several other victims of high-profile instances of police brutality, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The Justice Department is also investigating the case.
According to Massey's family, one of her ancestors, William Donnegan, was lynched in the Springfield race riot of 1908 and pronounced dead in the same hospital as Massey. The 1908 riot led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Massey's relative stated: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Massey's father criticized the sheriff's office for hiring Grayson despite the "serious blemishes on his record". Additionally, her family said that police had initially blamed Massey's death on both suicide and a neighbor.
County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced he would retire on August 31 due to the shooting.
Reactions.
U.S. politicians.
President Joe Biden stated "Americans ... should be able to [call for help] without fearing for our lives," and that Massey "should be alive today." Vice President Kamala Harris said "I join President Biden in commending the swift action of the State's Attorney's Office and in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that I coauthored in the Senate". She also stated that Massey "deserved to be safe," and that "she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve."
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker condemned the killing, stating that he was "enraged that another innocent black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer," and that he was "grateful to the Springfield State's Attorney's office for bringing the appropriate charges in this case". He later called for Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin stated that his "thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Sonya Massey" and "The Illinois State Police conducted a thorough investigation of Sonya's tragic death, and the Sangamon County State's Attorney brought the necessary charges in a timely way."
The City of Springfield announced an increased police presence in response to the killing and subsequent protests by Massey's family and supporters.
Others.
Protests were held in the United States, including Hartford, New York City, and Atlanta. The NAACP released a statement that blamed politicians for "empowering" Grayson and advocated for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Michael Arceneaux stated that Massey's killing was not surprising: "When don't we hear of a white officer shooting a black person?" The 19th said it was "a striking example of how police encounters for black people — even those who call the police for help — quickly erupt into violence."
References.
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