Illinois cop charged in controversial officer-involved shooting — race is of course the focus | Law Enforcement Today

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, was charged last week with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct in connection with the shooting death of 36-year-old Sonya Massey. Grayson has reportedly pleaded not guilty and faces 45 years to life in prison for murder, according to multiple reports.

The Illinois State Police have already found the use of deadly force unjustified and he has been fired, said Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who said: “It is clear that the officer did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. Therefore, Sean Grayson’s employment with the Sheriff’s Office has been terminated.”

As Fox News reported, Massey had contacted police on July 6 to report a suspected burglar. Officers arrived shortly before 1 a.m. and searched the home, finding a black SUV with broken windows in the driveway. Massey opened the door after three minutes, first telling officers, “Don’t hurt me.”

According to the outlet, the woman appeared confused and told officers she needed help, telling officers she did not know the owner of the car. During her interactions with officers, she repeatedly referred to God.

Later in the interaction, as the deputies were gathering information for their report, Massey appeared to have difficulty searching through her purse to find the identification the deputies requested. The conversation between Massey and the deputies appeared somewhat cordial, as Grayson pointed to a pot of boiling water still on the stove in the kitchen. He told Massey, “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.”

Massey got up from the couch to take the pan off the stove. She and Grayson can be heard laughing as they hear Grayson walk away from the “steaming hot water.” Massey then said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” at which point the tone of the interaction changed dramatically.

Grayson then ordered her to drop the pot, while holding up his service pistol and warning Massey, “You better not (expletive) do that or (expletive) I swear to God I’m going to shoot you in your (expletive) face.”

In released bodycam footage, Massey can be heard saying, “Okay, I’m sorry.” As he pointed the gun at her, Massey appeared to raise her hands and cover her head as she ducked behind a cabinet. When she suddenly stood up, Grayson fired three shots in quick succession, one of which fatally struck Massey in the head.

Prosecutors told the court that Grayson was still standing in the living room, while Massey was in the kitchen with a counter in between them. This separation would have given the deputy “distance and relative cover” so that Massey could not attack him with the boiling water.

Immediately after the shooting, Grayson’s partner turned to grab a first aid kit to give Massey first aid. As Fox reported, he said, “You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do, man.”

When he spoke to his partner a moment later, he said, “What else are we going to do? I’m not going to pour hot (swear word) boiling water in the (swear word) face.”

When they noticed Massey was still breathing, the two officers decided to grab their kits and render aid. Grayson’s partner can be heard saying, “We can at least try to stop the bleeding.”

When officers arrived and responded to the call of “shots fired,” Grayson allegedly informed them, “She had boiling water and she came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and she came at me with boiling water.”

Several media outlets have reported that Grayson has moved between six different agencies over the past four years. According to CNN, in at least two cases he explained that his departure was due to the positions being part-time. In another case, he said his hours had been cut. He was fired from one agency for refusing to move within 10 miles of the city limits.

Several media outlets have also reported that Grayson was charged with drunk driving twice in 2015 and 2016. He pleaded guilty and paid fines in 2015, and the charges were dropped in 2016. Additionally, ABC News recently learned that Grayson was discharged from the military for “misconduct (serious offense)” with less than two years of service.

Massey’s family and their legal team have asked the county to investigate the decision to hire him, citing the charges and his career history.

Former deputy sheriff Grayson is white and Massey was black, which has led to fierce protests.