Springfield, Illinois – Springfield Leaks obtained details from the body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, who was killed by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy.

On July 6, 2024, now-fired Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean P. Grayson responded to 2868 Hoover St. to investigate a call regarding a prowler. Grayson and another Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy made contact with the 911 caller, Sonya Massey, who said she needed assistance. Massey appeared calm, possibly unwell, and not aggressive. She weighed approximately 110 pounds.

Deputies entered Massey’s home to gather further information, and ensure the residence was safe. According to sources, Massey was at no time under arrest.

Deputy Grayson noticed a pot on the stove and allowed Massey to remove it to prevent any accidental fires. The pot was located in another room of the home, separated by a large counter.

During this time, the other deputy was clearing the house and noted nothing dangerous. Grayson then made a comment about the pot, which apparently contained heated water. Massey responded verbally and set the pot of water down on a counter in the kitchen. Grayson remained in the living room area of the home.

Despite his distance and relative cover, Grayson drew his 9mm firearm, not the less-than-lethal TASER located on his duty vest, and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. Seeing the drawn weapon, Massey put her hands in the air and stated, “I’m sorry,” while ducking for cover behind the counter that separated her and the defendant.

Grayson, with his firearm still drawn, proceeded to close the significant gap between him and Ms. Massey. He then aggressively yelled at Massey to put the pot down.

Grayson then fired his duty weapon three times in the direction of Massey, striking her in the face once. Only at this point did Grayson activate his body-worn camera. However, the body-worn camera of the other deputy was activated when he first arrived on the scene and remained on during the entirety of the events.

Afterward, the other deputy announced he was going to retrieve a medical kit from his vehicle, but Grayson instructed him not to due to the severity of Massey’s injury. Despite this, the other deputy still rendered aid and stayed with Massey until medical help arrived. Grayson did not attempt to render aid to Ms. Massey at any point.

An independent investigation of Grayson’s actions was conducted by the Illinois State Police. An expert in the field of “use of force” reviewed the recordings from the body-worn cameras of both deputies. The expert concluded that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He likened the scenario to an officer intentionally and unnecessarily placing himself in front of a moving vehicle and then justifying the use of force due to fear of being struck.

In an attempt to keep Grayson in custody, today at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 5B, Sangamon County prosecutors will argue in front of a judge that “Grayson’s disregard of his training as a law enforcement officer and his disregard for human life are evidenced by clear and convincing evidence that he is a danger to persons in the community. He has ample access to firearms and has shown a willingness to use lethal force despite the availability of non-deadly alternatives when there is little to no threat to his bodily safety.”

Stay tuned as this is a developing story.