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Body camera footage released this week offered a harrowing look at the police killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman in Springfield, Illinois, and renewed scrutiny of the disproportionate violence Black Americans face at the hands of law enforcement.
On July 6, Massey was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in her own home, after officers responded to her call about a potential prowler. Following checks of her backyard and surrounding area, at least two officers entered her home as part of their visit. Inside, one of them asks her to turn off her stove. While doing so, she picks up a pot of boiling water and the officers back away, noting that they want to distance themselves from it. She makes a comment about rebuking them “in the name of Jesus,” at which point one of them, Sean Grayson, shoots at her three times, including once fatally in the head.
A grand jury has since indicted Grayson on three counts of first-degree murder, with some law enforcement experts questioning why he’d shoot Massey rather than pursue other alternative responses like adding more distance between them or using a taser.
The shooting also adds to a long history of police violence against Black Americans — and underscores how enduring the problem continues to be. In 2020, mass protests erupted across the US following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after an officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. Those followed extensive demonstrations in 2014 after Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Massey is also among a number of Black Americans who’ve been shot by police in their own homes, including Roger Fortson in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth, Texas.
What we know about the incident
Police arrived at Massey’s home after she called 911 around 12:50 am on July 6, and proceeded to do a sweep around the house. They eventually tell her that they didn’t find anyone in the area and appear prepared to leave, when video shows them entering her home. While speaking with Massey, they also ask her if she’s doing okay mentally and she responds by saying, “Yes, I took my medicine.” Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney for Massey’s family, has said she dealt with mental health struggles.
It’s not immediately apparent why the officers then go into Massey’s house, but video shows her looking for her ID. While they’re inside, the officers realize the stove is on and urge Massey to turn it off. As she goes to do so, she moves the pot of boiling water that’s on it, prompting the officers to back away.
“Where are you going?” says Massey.
“Away from your hot, steaming water,” says Grayson.
“Away from my hot, steaming water?,” Massey asks, while holding the pot. “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You better f****** not or I swear to God I’ll f****** shoot you in your f****** face,” says Grayson as he draws his gun.
Massey then says “I’m sorry,” and ducks while raising the pot over her head, as Grayson shoots multiple times and fatally wounds her.
As his colleague moves to get a medical kit from their vehicle, Grayson comments, “Nah, she’s done. You can go get it but that’s a headshot.” He also states later, “Yeah I’m good, this f******* b**** is crazy.”
Last week, a grand jury indicted Grayson on charges of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated battery with a firearm and misconduct, all of which he pleaded not guilty to. He’s also been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, which noted that “it is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.”
A state’s attorney review of the incident similarly concluded that its analysis “does not support a finding that … Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force.” State prosecutors also cited an expert who described the act as comparable 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.”
Her family has said that Massey — a mother of two — was a “ball of energy,” and a “loving person” who was known for helping those around her. They also noted that they weren’t initially told that the shooting had been committed by an officer and that there were early implications it was done by someone else.
Massey’s family are now calling for an investigation into the Sheriff’s Department’s hiring of Grayson, who has worked in six different law enforcement agencies in the last four years, and been charged twice with driving under the influence. According to an Intercept report, Grayson had also been discharged from the military due to misconduct.
In the wake of the indictment, prosecutors will continue to pursue the charges against Grayson in a case that could head to trial. He has been denied pretrial release.
It’s the latest incident to raise concerns about police violence
Massey’s shooting highlights how pervasive police violence toward Black Americans still is, and the dearth of effective policies that have been passed to combat it.
In 2023, police killed more than 1,300 people, which was a new record, according to the organization Mapping Police Violence. That same data set found that Black people were almost three times more likely to be killed by police than white people.
Attempts to advance police reforms have varied at the city, state, and federal levels, with places like San Francisco investing in crisis response teams that serve as an alternative, and states like Minnesota approving new use of force standards.
But any federal compromise on police reform — including attempts after Floyd’s shooting in 2020 to end officers’ protections from legal liability — has thus far faltered.
