Sonya Massey: Video shows police officer Sean Grayson shooting woman in front of her home after she says ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus’

Illinois police have released bodycam footage showing the moments leading up to the fatal shooting in which a woman was shot and then called 911 to report a suspected intruder in her home.

The killing of Sonya Massey, 36, over the Independence Day weekend has led to criminal charges against the officer who opened fire, and condemnation from the White House.

Police have fired Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson and charged him with murder and official misconduct.

E pleaded not guilty to the charges. As of Monday, he was being held without bail.

Daniel Fultz, a lawyer representing Mr Grayson, declined to comment when contacted by the BBC this morning.

On Monday, Illinois State Police released bodycam footage showing officers yelling at Ms. Massey to put down a pot of boiling water while pointing their guns at her.

The incident began in the early morning of July 6 when Ms. Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles south of Chicago, to report that she suspected someone named Don had broken into her house.

Officers follow her inside as Ms Massey enters her home and watch as she searches for her ID.

In the video, Mr. Grayson sees a pot on the stove and says, “We don’t need a fire in here.”

Mrs. Massey walks over to the stove to remove the cookware. She and Mr. Grayson laugh with them at her pot of “steaming hot water,” before she shakes it twice and says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

“You better not (expletive) or I swear to God I’m going to shoot you (expletive) in your (expletive) face,” Mr. Grayson said, pulling out his gun as he yelled at her to drop her pot.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” Mrs. Massey said before walking away.

After shooting her, the officer said, “What else can we do? I’m not going to get boiling water for my face.”

The video also includes Mr. Grayson telling his police partner that she does not need medical attention.

As the deputy sheriff tries to get a first aid kit, the officer says, “She’s done. You can go get her, but that’s not a shot to the head.”

Mr. Grayson came over to get my own first aid kit after the officer said they could at least try to stop Mrs. Massey’s bleeding.

On Monday, the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office said Mr. Grayson had no right to use force.

President Biden said in a statement that he was “heartbroken” for her family and that her death was a reminder “that Black Americans too often live in fear for their safety in ways the rest of us don’t.”

Vice President Kamala Harris calls on Congress to enact police reform, posting on X: “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.

“The disturbing images released yesterday confirm what we know from the experiences many of us have gone through. We still have work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to my name.”

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday called the footage of the shooting “horrific.”

“As the community responds to the release of the footage, I urge calm as this case works its way through the criminal justice system,” Mr Raoul said.

Attorneys for the Massey family praised prosecutors for their swift action against Mr. Grayson.

Personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump says the images “shock the conscience of America.”