The horrific moment that a woman who called 911 for help was shot dead in the face by a cop while holding a pot of boiling water has been revealed.
Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old black woman, called cops on July 6 to report a ‘prowler’ possibly at her home in Springfield, Illinois, court documents show.
More than two weeks later, on Monday, Illinois State Police released a 36-minute-long video with body camera footage from the two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies who responded to her call.
The footage shows Deputy Sean Grayson and a colleague talking to Massey. She is shown sitting on her couch looking through her purse and belongings after being asked to present her ID.
Massey then gets up and walks to her stove to turn off a pot of water that is boiling. As she picks it up, Grayson’s colleague is heard saying he is stepping ‘away from your hot steaming water’.
‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,’ Massey says.
The deputy replies, ‘Huh?’
Massey reiterates: ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.’
Grayson then threatens: ‘You better f***ing not or I swear to God I’ll f***ing shoot you in the f***ing face.’
As Massey lifts the pot and and says, ‘I’m sorry’, and ducks behind the counter, Grayson points a gun at her.
‘Drop the f***ing pot!’ shout both deputies.
Several gunshots are heard and seconds later, one of the deputies says, ‘shots fired’. One of the three bullets struck Massey in the face.
Grayson says, ‘Dude, I’m not taking f***ing boiling water to the f***ing head. And look, it came right to our feet, too.’
The other deputy can be heard saying ‘I’m gonna go get my kit’, referring to his medical kit, as Grayson discouraged him from doing so, according to prosecutors.
Grayson ‘at no time attempted to render aid to Ms Massey’ while the other deputy did until first responders arrived, stated First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Rodgers.
Massey was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Grayson did not turn on his body camera until after the shooting, while the other deputy had it on at the start of the interaction with Massey.
The 30-year-old cop was fired and arrested and indicted last week by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of official misconduct and one count of aggravated battery. Grayson has pleaded not guilty.
Massey’s family attorney, Ben Crump, on Monday linked her death to other high-profile cases involving deadly violence against black people including Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman who was shot dead by Louisville police who entered her apartment with a no-knock search warrant.
‘Until we get justice for Sonya Massey, we rebuke this discriminatory criminal justice system in the name of Jesus,’ stated Crump.
Grayson is being held in prison until his trial, and faces life behind bars if convicted.
Springfield is about 200 miles southwest of Chicago and the state capital.
President Joe Biden on Monday stated that ‘Sonya’s family deserves justice’.
‘I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss,’ stated Biden. ‘While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake.’
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