She called the police for help. Instead, they killed her. – Mother Jones

Illinois State Police

On Monday, An Illinois County sheriff’s department has released bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of a black woman who initially called 911 for help. Earlier this month, Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson shot 36-year-old Sonya Massey after she tried to get a pot of water off the stove at the officer’s request.

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly fired Grayson, who was charged last week with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

“She needed a helping hand,” attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference Monday. “She didn’t need a bullet in the face.” On July 6, Massey allegedly called authorities about a possible burglary at her Springfield home. Officer Grayson and another officer arrived at the scene.

While asking her a few questions, Grayson asked her to turn off her stove, where a pot of water was reportedly boiling. Massey stood up to turn it off and pick up the pot. The officers then stepped back. She asked where they were going; Grayson replied, “Away from your hot steaming water.”

Massey then says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson replies that she “better not” and threatens to shoot her “in her f*cking face.” She apologizes before three shots ring out in the air.

As Massey lay bleeding in her kitchen, the other unnamed officer said he was going to get his first aid kit from his car, when Grayson said, “No, she’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot.”

After the shooting, the 30-year-old officer called Massey a “crazy fucking bitch” to other officers who arrived on the scene. Grayson’s body camera was reportedly turned off for most of the shooting.

The footage of Massey’s death, captured by the other officer’s body camera, shocked the nation. Several local, state and federal officials have condemned the officer’s actions. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both released statements calling for justice for Massey’s family on Tuesday.

“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris said. “After calling police for help, she was tragically murdered in her own home by a responding officer who was sworn to protect and serve.”

In an interview with CNN, her father, James Wilburn, claimed that police had given them conflicting information about his daughter’s death, leading him to believe that a mugger had killed her. Massey’s murder has left him devastated.

“Sonya was a total daddy’s girl. She never ended a conversation, whether it was text, phone or in person, without saying, ‘Daddy, I love you,’” her father, James Wilburn, told CNN’s Laura Coates in an interview. “And that’s the last message I have from my daughter that’s saved on my voicemail was, ‘Daddy, I love you.’”