Police release body-cam video of fatal shooting of Black woman in her home
CNN is reviewing the video.
The shooting took place after midnight on July 6 after Massey called 911 to report a possible “prowler” at her home in Springfield, Illinois, according to a court document filed by prosecutors.
Sangamon County sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy responded to the call around 12:50 a.m. and made contact with Massey, authorities said. While inside her home, Grayson drew his gun and shot at her three times, striking her once in the face, according to county prosecutors.
In the moments prior to the shooting, Grayson noticed a pot on the stove “and approved of Ms. Massey removing” it, and she moved to set the pot down on a kitchen counter, the document states. Grayson then drew his firearm and threatened to shoot her in the face, and Massey put her hands in the air and said “’I’m sorry’ while ducking for cover,” the document states. He “aggressively yelled at her to put the pot down” and then fired three times, the document states.
A review of the Illinois State Police investigation into the shooting “does not support a finding that ... Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force,” the state’s attorney for the county, John Milhiser, said in a July 17 news release.
A Sangamon County grand jury indicted Grayson, 30, on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, Milhiser said.
The sheriff’s office said it has fired Grayson. “It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the office said.
Grayson has entered a not guilty plea and was denied pretrial release, according to court records.
Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he fatally shot Massey, according to charging documents. The other deputy, who was checking the house during the discussion over the pot of water, had activated his body camera when he first arrived at the scene, the documents state.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, said she was unarmed and called for police to release all body camera footage of the shooting.
“While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable and we will demand transparency at every step,” he said in a statement last week.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
The sheriff's office expressed their dismissal of Deputy Grayson, stating, "It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards." After the incident, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Massey's family, urged for transparency and called for the release of all body camera footage.
