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

[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.

 

[Marantz4250b]

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.

Thing I don't get is why even have the facility to turn them off? The requirement is that they record for no less than ten hours anyway and that's pretty much a full shift unless you get into some huge event that really extends your duty day.

You'd just have them record all the time, surely?

 

[tlcya]

Thing I don't get is why even have the facility to turn them off? The requirement is that they record for no less than ten hours anyway and that's pretty much a full shift unless you get into some huge event that really extends your duty day.

You'd just have them record all the time, surely?

apparently they must turn them off if a witness or citizen requests it, and are not required to have them on while in their cruisers filling out reports, etc.

the requirement that they must record for 10 hours is not a requirement for the deputy, it is a requirement of the equipment that they have that ability.

I agree, it might be better if they simply had to leave them on at all times but I can see bathroom breaks being a bit dicey because I surely don't want to see all that.

they must also turn them off under the following circumstances:

​

(4) Cameras must be turned off when: (A) the victim of a crime requests that the​

​ camera be turned off, and unless impractical or impossible, that request is made on the recording;​

(B) a witness of a crime or a community member​

​ who wishes to report a crime requests that the camera be turned off, and unless impractical or impossible that request is made on the recording;​

(C) the officer is interacting with a​

​ confidential informant used by the law enforcement agency; or​

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

Thing I don't get is why even have the facility to turn them off? The requirement is that they record for no less than ten hours anyway and that's pretty much a full shift unless you get into some huge event that really extends your duty day.

You'd just have them record all the time, surely?

I *assume* they turn them off when they're at the station, on breaks, in the washroom, etc. Then often forget to turn them back on. I don't blame the officers for wanting some privacy, but also wish there was a more fool-proof way to make sure they're on when they're interacting with the public.

 

[Marantz4250b]

apparently they must turn them off if a witness or citizen requests it, and are not required to have them on while in their cruisers filling out reports, etc.

the requirement that they must record for 10 hours is not a requirement for the deputy, it is a requirement of the equipment that they have that ability.

I agree, it might be better if they simply had to leave them on at all times but I can see bathroom breaks being a bit dicey because I surely don't want to see all that.

they must also turn them off under the following circumstances:

​

(4) Cameras must be turned off when: (A) the victim of a crime requests that the​

​ camera be turned off, and unless impractical or impossible, that request is made on the recording;​

(B) a witness of a crime or a community member​

​ who wishes to report a crime requests that the camera be turned off, and unless impractical or impossible that request is made on the recording;​

(C) the officer is interacting with a​

​ confidential informant used by the law enforcement agency; or​

Oh yes, agreed totally. Okay, so you have the facility to switch it off but all of the circumstances outlined above will either be explainable by the officer or the reason will be shown on the video, such as a member of the public requesting it.

The rule should be, imo, that it's always on unless you have a good reason for it not to be.

 

[tlcya]

Sean P. Grayson served in the US Army as a mechanic for two years, but was discharged in 2016 for a serious offense of misconduct. A statement from Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said that his office "understood that the serious misconduct referenced in these documents was a DUI. We were aware of the DUI at the time of hire."
Former deputy charged in shooting of Sonya Massey was discharged from Army for misconduct

so if his misconduct in the army was a DUI then that makes 3 DUIs he pled guilty to? How did he even still have a license let alone license to carry and a job in LE?

 

[sunspun]

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.

Wow, never heard of that. Any idea how that could possibly work? The only way I can come up with would be by MAGIC, but I assume there's another explanation!

 

[celinesleuth]

This has absolutely broken my heart and infuriated me. MOO but "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ" isn't a super weird thing to say, Sonya was only expressing her disapproval to the officer implying she was going to throw the water at him. Again just my opinion. Additionally, I'd like to see measurements or floor plans of the property in order to gauge just how much the threat of the boiling water posed - shooting THREE times is absolutely an overreaction and hopefully the prosecution will take all measures necessary to show just how much of an overreaction it was. It escalated soooo quickly it's terrifying.

 

[PrairieWind]

Thing I don't get is why even have the facility to turn them off? The requirement is that they record for no less than ten hours anyway and that's pretty much a full shift unless you get into some huge event that really extends your duty day.

You'd just have them record all the time, surely?

There are times the camera should not be recording, like when an officer uses the restroom or if interacting with an informant.

 

[PrairieWind]

This has absolutely broken my heart and infuriated me. MOO but "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ" isn't a super weird thing to say, Sonya was only expressing her disapproval to the officer implying she was going to throw the water at him. Again just my opinion. Additionally, I'd like to see measurements or floor plans of the property in order to gauge just how much the threat of the boiling water posed - shooting THREE times is absolutely an overreaction and hopefully the prosecution will take all measures necessary to show just how much of an overreaction it was. It escalated soooo quickly it's terrifying.

The speed of the escalation is what stuns me. There is a fairly routine encounter, she calls, they respond, look around, talk to her on the porch, very calm and normal and he says something about "is there anything else we can do for you." implying they are about to leave, she responds a bit odd and he says something about, "are you doing ok, you know mentally" or something to that effect. He seems to detect that she might not be totally ok. They go in, he is getting some identification, again all calm and pleasant, she goes to move the water and he just completely changes, pulls the gun and warns her he will shoot her in the face. I don't get it. If he really felt threatened, just back off and out the front door.

 

[MollyDDD]

I was thinking about the neighborhood where this occurred, and thinking about how the officers responded to this situation. They arrive, search the place, from what we see they never announce themselves, just start knocking on the door. No "Sherrif's department, we're here to help." Ask dispatch to call her to let her know they are outside.

I am reminded of active school shootings, where kids and staff are trained to not open the doors for anyone, even if they claim to be LE. Ask for them to show their badge, or give them some evidence. They didn't let her know who they were, just assumed she would know they were the answer to her 911 call. To me, that could speak of their opinion of people who lived in that neighborhood, whether that be about poverty, race, substance use or combination of factors.

I do not know if these two officers were partners, or if they met up at the scene after being separately dispatched there. I remember listening to the dispatch audio about the incident, but don't remember if the two LE were together or separate. Either way, it is clear, at the end of the officer camera footage, how much this incident impacted the officer who tried to help her. He kept saying he was okay on his radio, as his hands are shaking and his breathing is still racing. Finally another officer comes up to him, gives him some comfort and tells him to turn his camera off, go off duty, take care of yourself. I hope they force him to take a leave and get ongoing support. What a horrific incident to be a part of.

Imagine that being your job every day?

 

[sunspun]

Imagine that being your job every day?

They signed up for it. They know what's involved. They can always QUIT.

If only he had.