A timeline of events from her death to her funeral

Sonya Massey, the Black woman fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy earlier this month, was killed by a bullet that struck her left eye, an autopsy released Friday confirmed.

Massey, 36, was holding a pot of water in her Springfield, Illinois, home when Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean P. Grayson shot her while responding to her call about a possible intruder. Grayson is charged with Massey’s murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Grayson, 30, who was fired by the department, worked for five different departments before joining Sangamon County in May 2023. Ben Crump, an attorney representing Massey’s family, said he believed Grayson had two previous, unsubstantiated allegations of excessive force.

Saturday updates: Vigils planned across the country for Sonya Massey, black woman shot in the face by police

The chaotic and at times gruesome bodycam footage made public earlier this week has sparked national outrage.

Bodycam footage shows fatal shooting of Sonya Massey

Police bodycam footage captured the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey near Springfield, Illinois.

Family members reported Friday that Massey had an encounter with police at her home the day before she was shot.

Below is a timeline of events during the deadly shooting.

Sonya Massey Shooting Timeline, Investigation

Around 12:50pm, July 6: Two Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputies, including suspect Sean P. Grayson, were called to a home in an unincorporated area near Springfield, Illinois, for a possible intruder. According to court documents, they contacted the 911 caller, Sonya Massey, who appeared “calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive.”

While another officer was cleaning up the house, Grayson began “aggressively yelling” at Massey to put down the pot of boiling water she had taken off the stove, even though he had given her permission to do so.

More: Crump: Bodycam footage of Sonya Massey shooting will ‘shock the conscience of America’

Despite being in another room, Grayson pulled out his gun and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. According to documents, Massey threw her hands in the air, said “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover.

Grayson fired three shots, hitting Massey once in the face.

01:21 am, July 6According to a Sangamon County press release, officers reported that shots were fired at that time.

01:42 am, July 6: According to Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, the case has been referred to the Illinois State Police for an independent investigation.

01:47 am, July 6: Massey is taken to the emergency room at HSHS St. John’s Hospital, where she is pronounced dead, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said.

09:20 am, July 6: Sangamon County issues its first press release on the case. By then, the case had been referred to the Illinois State Police by Sheriff Jack Campbell.

8 July: According to Allmon’s autopsy findings, Massey died of a single gunshot wound.

July 11: Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has announced that he has been hired by Massey’s family.

July 12: A two-hour protest is organized at the Sangamon County Building, demanding the release of bodycam footage and transparency in the case. More protests are planned for July 15 and 16.

July 17: Members of the Massey family view the deputies’ bodycam footage. A Sangamon County grand jury indicts Grayson on five counts, including three counts of first-degree murder. He is arrested and surrenders to police. Campbell said Grayson has been fired as a deputy. The bodycam footage was announced to be released on July 22. A protest rally draws about 200 supporters to the Springfield NAACP building.

July 18: Grayson makes his initial appearance in Sangamon County Superior Court before Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin. Grayson has pleaded not guilty to all five charges. Cadagin denied Grayson’s request for release under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.

July 19: Massey’s funeral will be held at Ruby Funeral Services & Chapel. Crump delivered a eulogy for Massey, saying the bodycam footage would “shock the conscience of America” similar to footage of Emmett Till, a teenager whose lynching in 1955 sparked the civil rights movement.

2:00 PM, July 22: Sangamon County releases deputies’ bodycam footage.

3:00 PM, July 22: Protesters march in memory of Massey from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to Comer Cox Park on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Morning, July 23: Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton meet with members of the Massey family at Union Baptist Church in Springfield

Morning, July 23: During a press conference at the NAACP building in Springfield, Ben Crump said the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Sonya Massey’s case.

July 24: A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Massey family.

July 26: Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon releases the autopsy report. The bullet entered below Massey’s left eye and exited through the posterior left surface of her upper neck.

Ccontact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.