IL - Sonya Massey Shot To Death In Her Own Home by Sangamon County Deputy After Calling to Report a Prowler, Springfield 6 July 2024

[bombardier]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The officer seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.



I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the officer will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the officer clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

 

[georgiajean]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The office seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.
View attachment 519842

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I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the office will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the office clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

Thank you for this. I went back, on super slow mode, and you can only see the pot being dumped/thrown in the short video from Camera 2 (the shooter). In the other LE's camera, the shooter steps in front, blocking the view of the pot. It's around min.28 in the video.

She falls down onto her knees, both hands in the air, holding pot holders and the pot sitting on the edge of the counter/sink. The shooter advances and demands she drop the pot. It isn't clear how she gets the pot in her hands (shooter blocks view). He advances, She throws the pot which lands on the black trash bag, and you can see steam rising off the water.

Now I understand why when the medics were there, everyone kept saying to leave the bag alone, that it was evidence. The Medics took her out the back door in order to not mess with the bag/water/pot evidence.

 

[stoptheviolence]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The officer seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.
View attachment 519842

View attachment 519843
I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the officer will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the officer clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

I think you have kind of answered by question which is does someone who throws hot water justify being shot and killed. I don't understand why these ridiculous situations are escalateing mostly by LE and there is always a victim who was the person that called the police in the first place. Why can't these officers deescalate a situation before it becomes a life and death situation.

 

[Artis]

Ben Crump, already the mouthpiece. That didn't take long.

Very unfortunate but expected. This was outrageous on the part of that psycho cop <modsnip> The fact is that lots of people - and their dogs - are murdered by cops (unjustified shootings), <modsnip> and it's a danger to all of society. \This poor lady was, obviously, a tad off upstairs and he had a paranoid hair trigger personality. It's like police departments select for dangerous personalities instead of screening them out. Good people are afraid to call the police as a result of it. God bless this woman. Rebuking him in Jesus' name really triggered him. Maybe she saw for him what he was.

 

[Artis]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The officer seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.
View attachment 519842

View attachment 519843
I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the officer will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the officer clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

Thanks for that. I watched the video a few times and did not catch that pot in the air like that. It may be enough to get him acquitted, depending on the make up of the jury.

 

[Mack the Knife]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The officer seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.
View attachment 519842

View attachment 519843
I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the officer will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the officer clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

Thanks for pointing that out…definitely hard to see, and the video I’ve seen from the other officer’s body cam doesn’t have audio when Deputy Grayson starts yelling, so it has been hard to line up what happened.

I think from Dep. Grayson’s body cam, it’s clear that Ms. Massey puts the pot down as soon as he draws his gun, even before he instructs her to. He keeps yelling even when the pot has been set down, and her hands are in the air. I can’t imagine how terrifying that would be—hands in the air, LEOs pointing guns, yelling at you, advancing on you—she had complied with what they wanted (putting the pot down) but they were escalating anyway. What did they want her to do? They gave no further instructions, and if I were her I might well have grabbed the pot of water and thrown it because it didn’t seem like there were any other options.

I already don’t think there is any chance of acquittal here, but I’m curious what the other deputy will testify to. Or what he has already said in interviews. I know that the LE unions have very strict rules when it comes to officer involved shootings, and there can be an instinct to hold the thing blue line and all that, but it doesn’t look like his department is backing (former) Deputy Grayson at all.

 

[sunflowermomma]

IMO, if anything, she was pulling the pot in front of her face in a panic to protect her from the deadly weapon pointed in her face by the cop screaming that he was going to shoot her in the face.

 

[Cryptic]

I am interested in how the trial will go.

It may come down to how much some of the video that depicts the following themes can be used in Court:

A. Crazy ghetto B-tch is wasting our time.
B. Now, she is getting real crazy- better knock it off, or I"ll shoot you in the face- last chance B-tch!
C. Bang!!
D. Nah, dont waste any medical attention on her. She is not worth it and it wont do her any good. Lets GTFO ASAP.

If the prosecution can use materials depicting themes A, B, and D, I think the officer is sunk. But.... what if the defense can suppress everything but "C"?

 

[sds71]

Statement from Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell:
The Body Worn Camera footage has now been released, and the public can see what we saw: Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson.
Grayson had other options available that he should have used. 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. Ms. Massey needlessly lost her life, and her family deserves answers. I trust the legal process will provide them.
This incident does not reflect the values or actions of our law enforcement community. It was a tragic decision made by an individual who had the training, tools, and experience to know better. We are committed to upholding a standard that prevents such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Thank you.
Sheriff Jack Campbell

Sangamon County Sheriff's Office

Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. 15,643 likes · 4,597 talking about this · 199 were here. The Official Facebook page of the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. Keeping the Peace Since 1821.

www.facebook.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Around 12:50 a.m., July 6: Two Sangamon County Sheriff's deputies, including defendant Sean P. Grayson, were called to a home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township for a possible intruder. According to court documents, they made contact with the 911 caller, Sonya Massey, who appeared to be "calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive."

While another deputy was clearing the house, Grayson began "aggressively yelling" at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water she removed from her stove, although he had given her permission to do so.

Despite being in another room, Grayson drew his weapon and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. According to documents, Massey put her hands in the air, said "I'm sorry" and ducked for cover.

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

1:21 a.m., July 6: According to a Sangamon County news release, deputies reported the shots were fired at this time.

Sonya Massey case: A timeline of events from officers being called to her funeral

Here's a look at everything that's happened so far in the Sonya Massey case, from when officers were called until her funeral.

www.sj-r.com

 

[Jw192]

In these instances I always try to look logically for justification as I often believe that cops get a bad rap, though I've watched the footage and the slowed down version over and over, he's screaming at her to drop the pot even though she's seemingly placed it down partly on the counter... he's still yelling so she gets it to actually drop it like he's demanding? All whilst in a panic (and obviously under mental duress from the looks of it)... I just don't see her actually throwing the pot at either officer, I see her complying in anyway she can

He's obviously gonna go for self defense but the whole escalation of the situation was in his hands, he had a Taser on his belt he COULD have used, he was extremely aggressive and all of this could have been handled in a much better way. The escalation combined with the aftermath - him guffing at the mention of rendering aid, the whole "I won't waste my med kit" and the "crazy b*tch" remarks aren't going to help his SD case imo

 

[Sarahlou]

Really disgusted by this. Poor woman. There was no need at all to shoot her.

 

[tlcya]

DBM

 

[JMapes]

I can't stop thinking about how the second officer did eventually try to render aid. Sonya was still alive, still gasping for air. She spent her last moments bleeding out on that kitchen floor, being told (by her murderer) that she was not worth "wasting supplies" on.

Perhaps the second officer, visibly and audibly shaken by witnessing this murder, felt that trying to stop the bleeding was the only thing he could do to help. HIs experience is going to be instrumental in SG's trial. I wish him all the strength in testifying. MOO.

 

[tlcya]

I want to add; some commentors on YT were saying to slow the video down so I did, and for full case transparency I want it known that when the officer started yelling and advancing w/ gun drawn, while she was crouched down, on video you can see her raising the pot and throwing it. The pot hits the side of the counter and water flows down towards the floor. The officer seems to start shooting after the pot has already been thrown but may have started while it was airborn.
View attachment 519842

View attachment 519843
I think it may become a problem that she is not a """perfect""" victim here. She did throw something that could be a weapon, and self defense* is probably what the officer will go for in terms of the trial. BUT the officer clearly instigated the confrontation. They know she's mentally unwell, vulnerable, and paranoid, and he made the decision to scare her and draw his weapon. I wish she had not throw that pot, but I understand why, in that situation, she would have, given her current state and the fear. I 100% do not believe she would have thrown that pot if the officer had not instigated.
I am interested in how the trial will go. Have there been cases on the books before, like this, where cops instigated a negative interaction, the person acted out of fear, and then got hurt? It adds a cushioning layer between the cop and the person who was harmed, and I worry that the law can twist that.

*I think there is also a question about what level of threat needs to be present to justify deadly force. I think many of us do not believe that hot water thrown by someone very frail rises to that level. The DOJ keeps it vague in their description; it seems up to LE discretion if they feel that serious physical injury would be incurred.

pretty sure that is not the pot. There was a mop bucket on the floor near her feet when she was removing the pot from the stove. I believe that is the mop bucket. Mr. Grayson fired three shots, I believe one of those shots may have hit the pot causing it to fall and hence spill the boiling water on the floor after he fired shots towards Sonya.

At 28:15 you see Sonya resting the pot of water on the edge of the sink. It is here she says I rebuke you. at 28:17 Grayson draws his weapon and Sonya simultaneously begins to duck.

at 28:18 Sonya's hands (Still inside her oven mitts) are both raised and she continues to drop her body behind the counter. The pot is balanced on the edge of the counter/sink area as this happens.

at 28:20 you can no longer see Sonya, but for a moment you can still see the pot, there on the counter. Not in her hands. Not thrown. I have circled the pot visible just below Grayson's forearm. I may try to use a better contrasting color so what I am illustrating is more easily discerned

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I thought there was lengthy psychological testing required to be hired as law enforcement? What does this county use in their process?

It's disturbing that the kind of person to not only do this but also refuse to assist with first-aid manages to make it through the hiring process time and again.

 

[tlcya]

the blue circle is around the pot. the red around Sonya's hands, still in oven mitts, raised above her head. This is where she says I'm sorry.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I thought there was lengthy psychological testing required to be hired as law enforcement? What does this county use in their process?

It's disturbing that the kind of person to not only do this but also refuse to assist with first-aid manages to make it through the hiring process time and again.

This is an interesting read. A significantly shorter training period and a significantly higher rate of police shootings.

Police training in US v other countries - BBC News

Amid calls to improve training in the US, we examine how it compares with other developed countries.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[crussell821]

I watched the video, what in the hell did I just see?? They tell her to go get the pot, she does, the cop says he’s moving back from the hot water, she says ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus’ (an odd thing to say but okay? It’s not a threat), he tells her he’s going to shoot her in the face, then does so for absolutely no reason. This guy is a menace.

 

[Leopard]

The thing I find most disturbing is that Massey was likely having a mental health crisis, as she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. People with psychiatric disorders are so vulnerable and are encouraged to utilize police and medical services to keep them safe. In this case, it directly led to Massey's death.

Body-cam video shows Illinois officer fatally shooting Black woman in face

A white deputy, Sean Grayson, shot Sonya Massey, who called police in fear of a home intruder, after boiling water dispute

www.theguardian.com