An autopsy report released Friday confirmed that 36-year-old Sonya Massey died from a gunshot wound to the head after being shot by a Sangamon County deputy.
In a six-page document, the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office says that Massey was shot beneath her left eye.
“Based on the information available to me, and on the autopsy findings, it is my opinion that Sonya Massey … died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head,” the report states.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, said the findings confirm that “this was just a senseless, unnecessary, excessive use of force.”
“Completely unnecessary,” he added. “Certainly not justified. I mean, how can you justify this?”
Massey was shot inside of her Springfield, Illinois, home on July 6 after Sangamon County deputies responded to her 911 call about a possible prowler.
Body camera video released Monday shows Deputy Sean Grayson and his partner speaking with Massey outside her home. The footage then shows the deputies inside.
Massey is seen in the video walking to her kitchen and taking a pot of boiling water off the stove. Grayson curses at Massey, telling her “you better f—ing not. I swear to God I will f—ing shoot you right in your f—ing face.” Both deputies then scream at Massey to drop the pot before Grayson opens fire.
Court records state that Grayson did not render aid after the shooting and discouraged his partner from doing so.
Grayson was fired by the department and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty at his arrangement last week and a judge ordered he remain in custody without bail.
Sheriff Jack Campbell called Grayson’s actions “unjustifiable” and “reckless.”
“Grayson had other options available that he should have used,” Campbell said in a statement Monday after the body camera footage was released. “His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office. He will now face judgment by the criminal justice system and will never again work in law enforcement.”
Crump had said news of Grayson’s firing and arrest was “a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy.”
An Illinois State Police summary of the shooting says that a car found at Massey’s home appeared to have been broken into. The deputies found Massey to be “distraught and not thinking clearly,” according to the summary.
Once inside her home, Grayson motioned to a container on the stove, the summary says. It says that Massey turned off the burner, picked up the pot, carried it to the sink and turned on the faucet.
Massey asked the deputies what they were doing, according to the summary, and Grayson responded that he was moving away from the boiling water.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said twice, according to the summary. Grayson then threatened to shoot Massey in the face, it says.
According to the summary, after Grayson drew his firearm and ordered Massey to drop the pot, she let go of it and ducked below a line of cabinets in the kitchen.
Court documents state that she put her hands in the air and apologized before ducking. According to the summary, as Grayson approached her, she quickly stood, grabbed the pot and threw steaming hot water on a chair next to the cabinets. Grayson fired three times, striking her once in the face, it says.
Crump said Friday that Massey had struggled with her mental health. Weeks before her death, it was determined that her two children would live with their fathers while she sought help, he said.
“She needed a helping hand, not a bullet to the face,” Crump said. “She just needed those officers to extend an ounce of humanity, not to kill her.”
Her son, Malachi Massey, told reporters that deputies had been to his mother’s home on July 5, a day before the shooting. She drove herself to a hospital that day following an incident, he said. Massey said he did not know why deputies responded to the home or what happened before he arrived at his mother’s home.
“The whole week, before all of this happened, I had been trying to get her into a mental health [facility],” he said.
Raymond Massey, Sonya’s uncle, remembered her as someone who was rarely angered.
“She was a beautiful Black queen,” he said. “She was the only family member, me and my wife were talking last night about, I’ve never once seen her angry or mad. She was always full of love and she loved her kids and God.”
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