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

[MollyDDD]

Because police departments have policies on and against them. Though, I agree they are irrelevant in this case and do not wish to discuss it further.

Yeah, actually I was reading about their rules about covering any tattoos.
The neck, arms, and hands must be covered. They have sleeves they can wear to cover them.

 

[Rikissa]

I’m not sure I understand the significance of him having tattoos. In today’s society it’s very common, young, old, males, females etc.
It’s no longer limited to just motorcycle gangs, prisoners and sailors like it used to be. IMO

Because police departments have policies on and against them. Though, I agree they are irrelevant in this case and do not wish to discuss it further.

There is also what kind of tattoos a person chooses, and how those tattoos are percieved by others. I did react on his tattoo because of the motive he had chosen, and it's placement. A skull tattoo can be done in many different ways, but to me his tattoo and placement gave off some vibes of a dark/dangerous person, someone I wouldn't trust at a first glance. Did he cover it up while being at work? If not, maybe that's why Sonya Massey talked about "devil/demons".

 

[scapa]

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped>
Also, LE officers DO go through extensive psychological testing prior to being hired. Those that don’t pass, don’t make it.

Was this true of Grayson at each of his LE stops, including this most recent one? I wonder if we'll find out at trial.

Here's a recent if not peer-reviewed article on how this testing might be carried out an evaluated. The article does note that pre-hire testing for LE can vary widely across jurisdictions.

5 questions answered about pre-employ psych testing for cops

The public expects police to be professionals — police agencies should expect no less from the psychologists who evaluate their personnel

www.police1.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[UrsulaWrenn]

I mentioned this case and Sonya's "rebuke" phrase to my husband. He was raised a devout Catholic, and he instantly thought she intended to throw the boiling water on the officer, because apparently that phrase is what a Catholic says before throwing holy water on someone. While I don't think Sonya intended to threaten the officer, it makes it more understandable that he thought she was.

Just a completely different perspective, and one I never knew about.

Still doesn't explain why he didn't just back out of her house and leave her alone, though.
"Heya...look, we're done here and none of us need to do anything we can't undo. There's no sign of a prowler and we LEOs have other places to be, so we'll see ourselves out now. You take care and call us again if you feel you need to."

 

[CrimeJunkie82]

Does anyone else question if she possibly suffered from some kind of mental illness? Im not justifying what happened to her in absolutely anyway, but she seemed a little off in the video at first. For example, she kept wanting to show them her papers and seemed a little off. Also how come the police officers did not announce themselves immediately while pounding on her door? Did they honestly think that someone who called to report a prowler would answer a door that was being beaten on like that? I also don't understand why he felt he had to result to such a deadly force, especially after she clearly dropped the pot and immediately began apologizing.

 

[CrimeJunkie82]

I mentioned this case and Sonya's "rebuke" phrase to my husband. He was raised a devout Catholic, and he instantly thought she intended to throw the boiling water on the officer, because apparently that phrase is what a Catholic says before throwing holy water on someone. While I don't think Sonya intended to threaten the officer, it makes it more understandable that he thought she was.

Just a completely different perspective, and one I never knew about.

Still doesn't explain why he didn't just back out of her house and leave her alone, though.
"Heya...look, we're done here and none of us need to do anything we can't undo. There's no sign of a prowler and we LEOs have other places to be, so we'll see ourselves out now. You take care and call us again if you feel you need to."

I mentioned this case and Sonya's "rebuke" phrase to my husband. He was raised a devout Catholic, and he instantly thought she intended to throw the boiling water on the officer, because apparently that phrase is what a Catholic says before throwing holy water on someone. While I don't think Sonya intended to threaten the officer, it makes it more understandable that he thought she was.

Just a completely different perspective, and one I never knew about.

Still doesn't explain why he didn't just back out of her house and leave her alone, though.
"Heya...look, we're done here and none of us need to do anything we can't undo. There's no sign of a prowler and we LEOs have other places to be, so we'll see ourselves out now. You take care and call us again if you feel you need to."

Exact;y! Also how come they didn't announce themselves while pounding on her door? Who is going to answer their door to that pounding when they suspect a prowler is outside? Also I read somewhere that he has lost numerous jobs in various law enforcement agencies. It seems like instead of just fixing the problem, which was him, they just shipped him off to another law enforcement agency.

 

[airportwoman]

It won’t be Sean Grayson’s job anymore. Thankfully.

jmo

It should never have been his job in the first place.

He got a Serious Misconduct discharge, which should in itself have disqualified him for being a LEO.

 

[airportwoman]

I believe it is important to try to decipher what happened in his sick mind, so that departments can better assess officers. So the warning signs are clear, and such hot-head reactionary individuals are not allowed to jump through so many departments and jobs. These individuals should NOT be allowed to keep working. Let this case be the one that puts some hard lines that stop such individuals from being in positions of authority with weapons.

Do officers report each other, or not? In other professions, like nursing, people report dangerous behavior. It is expected, for patient care and safety. Why not law enforcement?

It's called "the blue wall of silence" for a reason.

 

[caradana]

MOO:
He is a case study in passing the trash in LE. This should never have unfolded as it did, he should have been in an entirely different career by regular selection years ago.
Reinforcing MOO:
She had mental health challenges and exhibited oppositional defiant behavior. In a just and logical world that does not exist. This is not that world.

Nuclear combination. Awful.
Sad to see.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Does anyone else question if she possibly suffered from some kind of mental illness? Im not justifying what happened to her in absolutely anyway, but she seemed a little off in the video at first. For example, she kept wanting to show them her papers and seemed a little off. Also how come the police officers did not announce themselves immediately while pounding on her door? Did they honestly think that someone who called to report a prowler would answer a door that was being beaten on like that? I also don't understand why he felt he had to result to such a deadly force, especially after she clearly dropped the pot and immediately began apologizing.

Per her family she struggled with mental illness

Autopsy confirms Sonya Massey died from gunshot wound to head, as attorney calls shooting senseless

Autopsy findings on Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman fatally shot in her Illinois home by a now-fired sheriff’s deputy charged in her death, confirm that she died from a gunshot wound to the head

abcnews.go.com

 

[poppyquiche]

MOO:
He is a case study in passing the trash in LE. This should never have unfolded as it did, he should have been in an entirely different career by regular selection years ago.
Reinforcing MOO:
She had mental health challenges and exhibited oppositional defiant behavior. In a just and logical world that does not exist. This is not that world.

Nuclear combination. Awful.
Sad to see.

Yeah, I'm here.

I have a big heart for the good folks in law enforcement. AND I have a big heart for the disenfranchised, discriminated-against, mentally ill, or otherwise in-need people in society. I am a nerd and I have watched an absolutely enormous amount of court footage and bodycam footage over the years. I really do sincerely believe that almost always the people in positions of authority are sincerely trying to help and aren't reacting in a knee-jerk way. BUT I also have seen enough to know that it is 100% not always the case. Given this guy's background and the details (it's not even like he was brand new to being a cop and if she was having a mental health episode I KNOW they know how to spot those even better than I do), I'm not convinced he had the best intentions right now.

 

[caradana]

Yeah, I'm here.

I have a big heart for the good folks in law enforcement. AND I have a big heart for the disenfranchised, discriminated-against, mentally ill, or otherwise in-need people in society. I am a nerd and I have watched an absolutely enormous amount of court footage and bodycam footage over the years. I really do sincerely believe that almost always the people in positions of authority are sincerely trying to help and aren't reacting in a knee-jerk way. BUT I also have seen enough to know that it is not always the case. Given this guy's background and the details (it's not even like he was brand new to being a cop and if she was having a mental health episode I KNOW they know how to spot those even better than I do), I'm not convinced he had the best intentions right now.

I hear you, empathetically. MOO: this is a cop who shouldn’t have been a cop who encountered a mentally troubled citizen. MOO: perfect storm. Horrible confluence of events.

 

[iusedtofloat]

I cannot even express my outrage over this. Time and time again we see LE use their power and authority to kill people. That's it.
May Sonya's memory live on and may we all do better in our advocacy to prevent this from ever happening again. I can't imagine her family's pain, knowing that their relative who was struggling with mental health was murdered in her home by the people she called to help.

That is the most horrific video I have ever seen. Something must be done about the police's pattern of executing innocent Black people.

could not agree more with both these posts.

 

[iusedtofloat]

I hear you, empathetically. MOO: this is a cop who shouldn’t have been a cop who encountered a mentally troubled citizen. MOO: perfect storm. Horrible confluence of events.

yes, a "perfect storm". one that plays out each and every single day in america and nobody in power cares enough to change anything.

 

[iusedtofloat]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
I am all for justice for Sonya but the tattoo thing is reaching... I have a tattoo of a skull on my right arm and I am not a satanist, promise!

 

[CrimeJunkie82]

Per her family she struggled with mental illness

Autopsy confirms Sonya Massey died from gunshot wound to head, as attorney calls shooting senseless

Autopsy findings on Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman fatally shot in her Illinois home by a now-fired sheriff’s deputy charged in her death, confirm that she died from a gunshot wound to the head

abcnews.go.com

This is just so sad and senseless. Especially the cruel and callous way the deputy spoke about her after he shot her. I watched the video but reading this and finding out exactly just how much larger he was than her and reading where the entry and exit wound were...my heart aches for that family.

 

[CrimeJunkie82]

Why did the police not announce themselves when they were beating on her door? Does anyone else not question how come they didn't ?

 

[iusedtofloat]

Why did the police not announce themselves when they were beating on her door? Does anyone else not question how come they didn't ?

tbh i question everything that happened here.

 

[CrimeJunkie82]

It's called "the blue wall of silence" for a reason

tbh i question everything that happened here.

So do I. I read where the officer was a problem at multiple other law enforcement agencies. I question how someone who was such a problem and obviously so short tempered was able to secure another job at as a police officer. It seems like instead of actually doing something about his obvious inability to do his job, they just passed him around and let him be someone elses problem. This should have NEVER have happened.. I hope he gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law