An Illinois woman was killed by a deputy after she called 911, authorities say. The deputy is charged with murder
Sonya Massey, 36, called 911 on July 6 because she thought an intruder was in her home in the Springfield area, according to the law office of Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing her family.
Sangamon County sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy responded to the call around 12:50 a.m., and Grayson fatally shot Massey “during (an) interaction inside the home,” the state’s attorney for the county, John Milhiser, said in a Wednesday news release.
The sheriff’s office had said the deputies reported the shooting around 1:20 a.m., and that it happened after the deputies searched the area. No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said, and Crump’s office has said Massey was unarmed.
Authorities have not publicly said why the shooting happened or what led up to it. But an Illinois State Police investigation of the case did “not support a finding that ... Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force,” Milhiser said.
A Sangamon County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Grayson on three counts of first-degree murder and a count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, Milhiser said. Grayson was in custody Wednesday and will be arraigned Thursday, the prosecutor said.
The sheriff’s department has fired Grayson, the office said Wednesday. CNN has not been able to determine whether Grayson has an attorney.
Crump, who has said Massey was shot in the head, said in a release last week that it was “extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot ... by the police in her own home.”
On Wednesday, Crump said the charges marked “an important milestone in the pursuit of justice for Sonya Massey’s family.”
“This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy. We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur,” Crump said in a Wednesday release.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expressed gratitude Wednesday to prosecutors for bringing the “appropriate charges” in this case.
“Sonya Massey was concerned for her safety and called law enforcement to her home for protection. Like all Illinoisans, she deserved that protection. Instead, innocent and unarmed, she was gunned down by an officer of the law,” Pritzker said in a news release.
“My heart breaks for Sonya’s children, for her family and friends and for all who knew and loved her, and I am enraged that another innocent Black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer,” the governor said.
Body camera footage to be publicly released next week
Massey’s family saw body camera footage of the incident during a meeting with prosecutors and state police on Wednesday, Milhiser said.
After consulting with the family, officials decided the footage will be released publicly on Monday morning, the prosecutor said. Nothing has been redacted “except for the blurring of certain images” out of respect, Milhiser said.
The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that Grayson’s actions “do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole,” and that it was “clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.”
“Good law enforcement officers stand with our community in condemning actions that undermine the trust and safety we strive to uphold. In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community,” the office said in an online post.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report
The sheriff's department informed us that their internal investigation found Grayson's actions did not align with their values and training. (us)
The body camera footage of the incident, which shows the interaction between Massey and Grayson, will be publicly released next week. (us)
