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

[tlcya]

Sonya suffered from Schizophrenia. There has been a correlation noted between that illness and hyper religiosity. It is not uncommon for sufferers to be super focused on God, spirituality, religion, demons and angels. MOO

 

[fsngruv]

<modsnip - referenced posts removed as the discussion was not about the accused (tattoos)>

I can't imagine anyone who calls anyone a s*upid f*cking b*tch really concerning themselves with religion, religious activities or behaviors enough to be offended by such a statement. It would seem the average officer is faced with immorality constantly and it wouldn't trigger an otherwise ultra religious officer.

Is his religion being brought up because it may be suggested that his religion isn't Christianity but Satanism?

 

[georgiajean]

<modsnip - referenced posts removed as the discussion was not about the accused (tattoos)>

I can't imagine anyone who calls anyone a s*upid f*cking b*tch really concerning themselves with religion, religious activities or behaviors enough to offended by such a statement. It would seem the average officer is faced with immorality constantly that it wouldn't trigger an otherwise ultra religious officer.

Is his religion being brought up because it may be suggested that his religion isn't Christianity but Satanism?

I know that I was searching out the meaning of the "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" as well as the significance of boiling water. Both have spiritual significance with boiling water being a force of protection, spiritually. And the rebuke statement is also a statement of protection and banishing of demons.

So when she asks "Why you moving away" and he responds "Moving away from your hot steaming water." She repeats what he said, laughs, and then says "I rebuke you...." I really believe that at that moment, she was being playful, making the connection between the boiling water and banishing demons. (Or maybe she was literally boiling water to protect herself from the suspected prowler, and her auto-response to his reaction to the water was to make the statement she'd been making in her head about the prowler?) When he went zero to 60 at that comment, she was shocked, I think. The situation turned unnecessarily from a joke to life or death so fast. IMO.

I am curious about the shooter's background, because if he was abused in the name of religion, or had been deeply shamed via religion (i.e. religion used in monstrous ways) then I could see it being a hair trigger. Of course not an excuse in any way shape or form. He was clearly not fit for duty or service of any kind. Sonya did NOTHING to deserve or warrant her murder.

 

[fsngruv]

I know that I was searching out the meaning of the "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" as well as the significance of boiling water. Both have spiritual significance with boiling water being a force of protection, spiritually. And the rebuke statement is also a statement of protection and banishing of demons.

So when she asks "Why you moving away" and he responds "Moving away from your hot steaming water." She repeats what he said, laughs, and then says "I rebuke you...." I really believe that at that moment, she was being playful, making the connection between the boiling water and banishing demons. (Or maybe she was literally boiling water to protect herself from the suspected prowler, and her auto-response to his reaction to the water was to make the statement she'd been making in her head about the prowler?) When he went zero to 60 at that comment, she was shocked, I think. The situation turned unnecessarily from a joke to life or death so fast. IMO.

I am curious about the shooter's background, because if he was abused in the name of religion, or had been deeply shamed via religion (i.e. religion used in monstrous ways) then I could see it being a hair trigger. Of course not an excuse in any way shape or form. He was clearly not fit for duty or service of any kind. Sonya did NOTHING to deserve or warrant her murder.

I agree with your assessment and it makes me curious too... To add to your point, I noticed he responded with, "I swear to God".

I agree, nothing would justify his (over) reaction but makes me wonder about his background to religion as well.

Thanks for your response and helping me understand!

Eta: just me as a southerner and growing up in the South, a boiling pot of water on the stove usually means someone is about to make some tea, and we usually make tea no less than every other day. She might've been making tea?

 

[steeltowngirl]

She would have needed to remove the potholders first. I think by the time she put down the pot of water, removed the potholders and grabbed the gun he could've found a way to de-escalate. Also, common sense kinda dictates that if she had a gun on the counter next to the stove she would not have been so fearful of an intruder she was willing to call the police in spite of a premonition she was going to die at the hands of police officers.

It’s even worse. She had a premonition; she even told them she was afraid and they reassured her. Then one shot her point blank in the face.

In the footage, Grayson and a second deputy can be seen knocking on Massey's door a few times until Massey opens it.

"Please don't hurt me," Massey is heard saying to Grayson. The second deputy was not identified by authorities.

"Why would I hurt you? You called us," Grayson responds.

Body camera video shows Sonya Massey's final moments before she was fatally shot by a deputy

The deputy who shot Massey at her home in Springfield, Illinois was fired and charged with murder.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

In the footage, Grayson and a second deputy can be seen knocking on Massey's door a few times until Massey opens it.

"Please don't hurt me," Massey is heard saying to Grayson. The second deputy was not identified by authorities.

"Why would I hurt you? You called us," Grayson responds.

Another thing that makes me immediately think of Tourettes. "Getting the ticks out" before opening a door or entering a room or whatever. Sometimes it can take a while to go through the routine of doing or saying all the strange things sufferers feel compelled to do.

 

[fsngruv]

It’s even worse. She had a premonition; she even told them she was afraid and they reassured her. Then one shot her point blank in the face.

In the footage, Grayson and a second deputy can be seen knocking on Massey's door a few times until Massey opens it.

"Please don't hurt me," Massey is heard saying to Grayson. The second deputy was not identified by authorities.

"Why would I hurt you? You called us," Grayson responds.

Body camera video shows Sonya Massey's final moments before she was fatally shot by a deputy

The deputy who shot Massey at her home in Springfield, Illinois was fired and charged with murder.

www.nbcnews.com

That really does make it worse!!! My heart breaks for Sonya and her final moments, she didn't deserve to die like that. There needs to be answers and accountability. Some seem to just forget about some victims who look a certain way while demanding answers for others who look another. We all are rightfully outraged by the actions of this officer and this should never be an acceptable way to deal with anyone at anytime, especially by a police officer.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Sonya suffered from Schizophrenia. There has been a correlation noted between that illness and hyper religiosity. It is not uncommon for sufferers to be super focused on God, spirituality, religion, demons and angels. MOO

True, she also asked the officer to hand her her bible that was on the couch while all three were in the living room.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Don't watch it, and if you do have the volume off because hearing Sonya's breathing after she was shot was heartbreaking.
Seeing and hearing the impatience of the deputy with her from the outset was alarming. He was cold, unsympathetic, lacked remorse, demoralising to her when he spoke about her, insulting her after she was shot, wouldn't render first aid. She could have heard everything he said about what happened after he shot her and she was lying on the floor, bleeding and gasping for breath and he was standing there swearing and didn't go over to her. Heard him say "that's a head shot". Heard him say to get the medical kit but there's no point.
Oh geez, I just can't - no one should ever go through that.
Will happily watch this guy rot behind bars for that despicable and senseless act however

Moo

Agree. I wish I had not watched. Sonya’s gasping will remain in my mind in a place I cannot erase. I’ve followed many cases and sadly watched footage of egregious acts of police brutality. Daniel Shaver’s murder shocked me. George Floyd’s murder sickened me. Sonya’s murder on film absolutely shook me to the core.

I am outraged.
We all are.

jmo

 

[Cryptic]

It would seem the average officer is faced with immorality constantly and it wouldn't trigger an otherwise ultra religious officer.

Your observed inconsistency between an ultra religious officer who sees immorality everyday, but is then triggered into a rage by the victims scriptural rebuke is well noted. Please consider the following possibilities to explain it:

- He may of been brought up in an intensely religious home, is not religious today, but still views the rebuke as a severe personal insult.

- Not all ultra religious people are consistent in their beliefs. Nor, do all ultra religious people practice what they preach. For example, someone becoming enraged at a daughter's immodest dress- but also personally engaging in a variety of shady business practices.

- For some religious people, the religion is more a form of control, a system to impose shame, or a form of respect / disrespect rather than a true system of ethics.

I have no idea whether any of the above possibilities apply to the officer. But.... they could explain the possible discrepancy.

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

Your observed inconsistency between an ultra religious officer who sees immorality everyday, but is then triggered into a rage by the victims scriptural rebuke is well noted. Please consider the following possibilities to explain it:

- He may of been brought up in an intensely religious home, is not religious today, but still views the rebuke as a severe personal insult.

- Not all ultra religious people are consistent in their beliefs. Nor, do all ultra religious people practice what they preach. For example, someone becoming enraged at a daughter's immodest dress- but also personally engaging in a variety of shady business practices.

- For some religious people, the religion is more a form of control, a system to impose shame, or a form of respect / disrespect rather than a true system of ethics.

I have no idea whether any of the above possibilities apply to the officer. But.... they could explain the possible discrepancy.

I can agree with all you've said here but cannot pretend a person with these kinds of beliefs can be a good police officer in a country where freedom of religion is revered. Anyone who sees someone else's faith as a personal insult needs to avoid working in American law enforcement like a plague.

 

[Marantz4250b]

Your observed inconsistency between an ultra religious officer who sees immorality everyday, but is then triggered into a rage by the victims scriptural rebuke is well noted. Please consider the following possibilities to explain it:

- He may of been brought up in an intensely religious home, is not religious today, but still views the rebuke as a severe personal insult.

- Not all ultra religious people are consistent in their beliefs. Nor, do all ultra religious people practice what they preach. For example, someone becoming enraged at a daughter's immodest dress- but also personally engaging in a variety of shady business practices.

- For some religious people, the religion is more a form of control, a system to impose shame, or a form of respect / disrespect rather than a true system of ethics.

I have no idea whether any of the above possibilities apply to the officer. But.... they could explain the possible discrepancy.

None of this should be any sort of "explanation" for how he reacted.

Let's also not forget that he was basically acting pissed-off and aggressive from the second he showed up and knocked on her door so I do not believe for one minute that he was in any way provoked by what she said.

He's a complete psychopath and deserves a needle in the arm, quite frankly.

All MOO, obvs.

 

[sunflowermomma]

I am curious about the timeline of Sonya's 911 call and the timing of the 2 officers showing up at her house. She was still on the phone with dispatchers and in the 911 call states someone is banging on her house from outside. Also, were the 2 officers from the same agency she was speaking with through 911?

Edit: she called 911 at 1:01 am and the bodycam footage starts at 1:11 AM.

Why does the officer's bodycam only turn on when they are already in her backyard? It is the law in IL to have body cameras on at all times.

 

[Ladyotm]

I didn't watch the video. Thanks for the person who explained the conversation at the door. That was helpful.

I want to comment on the spiritual references and this is all MOO. His reaction to her rebuke could have had nothing to do with his religious background. He could have simply been angered that she referred to him as a demon or that she rebuked him when he felt he did nothing wrong. I know that reasoning doesn't make since, but there are people who don't believe in God but will get mad if someone rebukes them in his name. I think the reasoning revolves around them being upset is that the person rebuking them see them as evil, a monster, or behaving in a way that is not morally right (jealous of something they shouldn't be, being mean, unkind, selfish, vindictive, etc).
And some folks use, "I swear to God" like slang.
They might use it in place of telling someone to go on, stop playing around, or simply to show their strong feelings about somehing, but in reality, they have no belief in God.

More information is coming out about his past, that may help explain exactly what kind of person he was. And IMO if he was unfit for duty, other departments had a duty to share this information. MOO, they rarely will and just send the problem into another department.

 

[Marantz4250b]

I am curious about the timeline of Sonya's 911 call and the timing of the 2 officers showing up at her house. She was still on the phone with dispatchers and in the 911 call states someone is banging on her house from outside. Also, were the 2 officers from the same agency she was speaking with through 911?

Edit: she called 911 at 1:01 am and the bodycam footage starts at 1:11 AM.

Why does the officer's bodycam only turn on when they are already in her backyard? It is the law in IL to have body cameras on at all times.

When I watched some evidence from the Alec Baldwin case (I think) the cop said that his bodycam turns on when his lights and sirens activate.

In this case the media had said that the shooter didn't turn on his body cam until after the shooting. That can't be correct as his camera captured the shooting. I think he either turned it on immediately before or that it was set to activate when his gun was drawn?

 

[tlcya]

I am curious about the timeline of Sonya's 911 call and the timing of the 2 officers showing up at her house. She was still on the phone with dispatchers and in the 911 call states someone is banging on her house from outside. Also, were the 2 officers from the same agency she was speaking with through 911?

Edit: she called 911 at 1:01 am and the bodycam footage starts at 1:11 AM.

Why does the officer's bodycam only turn on when they are already in her backyard? It is the law in IL to have body cameras on at all times.

(50 ILCS 706/10-20) Sec. 10-20. Requirements. (a) The Board shall develop basic guidelines for the use of officer-worn body cameras by law enforcement agencies. The guidelines developed by the Board shall be the basis for the written policy which must be adopted by each law enforcement agency which employs the use of officer-worn body cameras. The written policy adopted by the law enforcement agency must include, at a minimum, all of the following: (1) Cameras must be equipped with pre-event​

recording, capable of recording at least the 30 seconds prior to camera activation, unless the officer-worn body camera was purchased and acquired by the law enforcement agency prior to July 1, 2015.​

(2) Cameras must be capable of recording for a period​

of 10 hours or more, unless the officer-worn body camera was purchased and acquired by the law enforcement agency prior to July 1, 2015.https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/il...2&ChapterID=11&SeqStart=100000&SeqEnd=1000000​

(3) Cameras must be turned on at all times when the​

officer is in uniform and is responding to calls for service or engaged in any law enforcement-related encounter or activity that occurs while the officer is on duty.​

(A) If exigent circumstances exist which prevent​

the camera from being turned on, the camera must be turned on as soon as practicable.​

(B) Officer-worn body cameras may be turned off​

when the officer is inside of a patrol car which is equipped with a functioning in-car camera; however, the officer must turn on the camera upon exiting the patrol vehicle for law enforcement-related encounters.​

(C) Officer-worn body cameras may be turned off​

when the officer is inside a correctional facility or courthouse which is equipped with a functioning camera system.​

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/il...2&ChapterID=11&SeqStart=100000&SeqEnd=1000000

 

[Marantz4250b]

So, he was in breach of rule no 3.

 

[tlcya]

So, he was in breach of rule no 3.

makes me wonder how often in the past Mr. Grayson failed to have his body cam on during calls. I have a feeling we are about to hear a lot more about his on the job encounters with the citizens of Sangamon County.

this bad apple should never have been deputized.

 

[sunspun]

When I watched some evidence from the Alec Baldwin case (I think) the cop said that his bodycam turns on when his lights and sirens activate.

In this case the media had said that the shooter didn't turn on his body cam until after the shooting. That can't be correct as his camera captured the shooting. I think he either turned it on immediately before or that it was set to activate when his gun was drawn?

That's possible, because it did start filming immediately before he shot but not until then, while his partner's was on the whole time. Or did he purposefully turn it on himself when he knew he was about to shoot or maybe when he drew his gun and there was a possibility he would shoot? That would be odd. Wouldn't look good, imo.

But I'm confused also about the part almost immediately after he shot her, when we hear the partner say, "It's alright, mine was on." (referring to his bodycam) So that sounds like it was in response to the shooter saying something to him like, "Uh oh my cam wasn't on", and it would make sense for the other cop to say what he said. But we don't hear him say anything about his not being on. And it wouldn't make sense for him to say that, since we know it WAS on because we saw the shooting from both cams.

Maybe the other cop said that, because he knows his partner often breaks the rule about always having his cam on, so he just assumed his was off, as it must often be. Or maybe the other cop didn't actually say out loud anything about his being off, but maybe he just checked his camera at that point, and the other one saw him do that, and that made him say what he said about, "It's alright, mine was on."

So that's confusing why the other cop said that, and also confusing how the shooter cop's camera got turned on, and why at that very moment before he shot.

 

[tlcya]

When I watched some evidence from the Alec Baldwin case (I think) the cop said that his bodycam turns on when his lights and sirens activate.

In this case the media had said that the shooter didn't turn on his body cam until after the shooting. That can't be correct as his camera captured the shooting. I think he either turned it on immediately before or that it was set to activate when his gun was drawn?

the body cams are equipped to retroactively record up to 30 seconds prior to their being activated pursuant to paragraph 1 of the statute listed above. Pre-Event recording technology.

that is why we see from the other deputy's footage Grayson turning his on after the shooting but when the cam video was played back it actually recorded Grayson as he shot Sonya.

The other deputy saw Grayson turning on his cam and that is why he assured Grayson "it's okay, mine is on" what neither deputy was probably taking into account is that pre-event technology feature programed into their body cams. They may not even have been aware that their cams could do that.