An Illinois police officer fatally shot a woman in her own home as she apologized and held a pot of hot water, according to bodycam video released Monday.
Sean Grayson of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office fatally shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, at her home in Springfield. Grayson, a 30-year-old white man, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting and pleaded not guilty.
The bodycam video showed a routine interaction between Grayson, another officer and Massey, which then quickly escalated as Grayson drew his gun and threatened to kill Massey.
Both officers responded to Massey’s home just before 1 a.m. on July 6 after she called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her house. After a confused interaction at the entryway, the officers entered Massey’s home, and she looked for her ID.
While inside, Grayson noticed a pot of water boiling on Massey’s stove and asked her to turn the heat off.
In the video, Massey walks over, turns off the heat and grabs the pot. Both officers back up a little, and Grayson chuckles a bit as he tells Massey they’re stepping “away from your hot, steaming water.”
“Away from my hot steaming water? Aw, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey replies.
“You better f–king not or I swear to God I’ll f–king shoot you in your f–king face,” Grayson responds. He then pulls his gun and demands Massey “drop the f–king pot.”
Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, still holding the pot. Grayson then walks toward her and fires three bullets, killing Massey with a shot to the head.
Following the shooting, Grayson was fired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, investigated by Illinois State Police and charged with murder by the county attorney. He remains behind bars without bail.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not,” President Biden said in a statement.
