Video reveals chaos of deputy fatally shooting black woman who called 911

John O'Connor, Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Sonya Massey ducked and apologized to an Illinois sheriff’s lawman seconds earlier he changeable nan Black female 3 times successful her home, pinch 1 fatal rustle to nan head, arsenic seen successful assemblage camera video released Monday.

An Illinois expansive assemblage indicted erstwhile Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, who is white, past week. He has pleaded not blameworthy to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated artillery pinch a firearm and charismatic misconduct.

The video confirmed prosecutors’ earlier relationship of nan tense infinitesimal erstwhile Grayson yelled from crossed a antagonistic astatine Massey to group down a cookware of basking water. He past threatened to sprout her, Massey ducked, concisely rose, and Grayson fired his pistol astatine her.

Authorities said Massey, 36, had called 911 earlier to study a suspected prowler. The video shows nan 2 deputies responded conscionable earlier 1 a.m. connected July 6 astatine her location successful Springfield, 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. They first walked astir nan location and recovered a achromatic SUV pinch surgery windows successful nan driveway.

It took Massey 3 minutes to unfastened nan doorway aft nan deputies knocked, and she instantly said, “Don’t wounded me.”

She seemed confused arsenic they said astatine nan door, and she repeated that she needed help, referenced God and told them she didn’t cognize who owned nan car.

Inside nan house, deputies seemed exasperated arsenic she sat connected her sofa and went done her purse arsenic they asked for recognition to complete a study earlier leaving. Then Grayson pointed retired a cookware sitting connected a occurrence connected nan stove.

“We don’t request a occurrence while we’re here,” he said.

Massey instantly sewage up and went to nan stove, moving nan cookware adjacent a sink. She and Grayson seemed to stock a laughter complete her cookware of “steaming basking water” earlier she unexpectedly said, “I rebuke you successful nan sanction of Jesus.”

“You amended (expletive) not aliases I committedness to God I’ll (expletive) sprout you successful your (expletive) face.” He past pulled his 9mm pistol and demanded she driblet nan pot.

Massey said, “OK, I’m sorry.” In Grayson’s assemblage camera footage, he pointed his limb astatine her. She ducked and raised her hands.

Grayson was still successful nan surviving room, facing Massey and separated by a antagonistic dividing nan surviving room and kitchen. Prosecutors person said nan separation allowed Grayson some “distance and comparative cover” from Massey and nan cookware of basking water.

After Grayson changeable her, Grayson discouraged his partner from grabbing a aesculapian kit to prevention her.

“You tin spell get it, but that’s a headshot,” he said. “There’s thing you tin do, man.”

He added: “What other do we do? I’m not taking basking (expletive) boiling h2o to nan (expletive) face”

Noting that Massey was still breathing, he relented and said he would get his kit, too. The different lawman said, “We tin astatine slightest effort to extremity nan bleeding.”

Grayson told responding police, “She had boiling h2o and came astatine me, pinch boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke maine successful nan sanction of Jesus and came astatine maine pinch boiling water.”

During a Monday day news conference, nan family’s lawyer, civilian authorities lawyer Ben Crump, called Grayson’s “revisionist” justification “disingenuous.”

“She needed a helping hand. She did not request a slug to her face,” Crump said of Massey.

Asked why Massey told Grayson, “I rebuke you successful nan sanction of Jesus,” Crump said she had undergone curen for intelligence wellness issues. He noted that she invoked God’s sanction from nan opening of nan brushwood and asked for her Bible aft nan deputies stepped inside.

During Massey’s ceremonial connected Friday, Crump said nan video, which he and nan family had already viewed, would “shock nan conscience of America.”

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, demanded nan region tribunal strategy beryllium wholly unfastened pinch its investigation and prosecution and transparent pinch nan public.

“The only clip I will spot my babe again is erstwhile I time off this world,” Wilburn said. “And I don’t ever want anybody other successful nan United States to subordinate this league.”

Grayson, who was fired past week, is being held successful nan Sangamon County Jail without bond. If convicted, he faces situation sentences of 45 years to life for murder, 6 to 30 years for artillery and 2 to 5 years for misconduct.

His lawyer, Daniel Fultz, declined to remark Monday.

In a statement, President Joe Biden said he and first woman Jill Biden were praying for Massey’s family “as they look this unthinkable and senseless loss.”

“When we telephone for help, each of america arsenic Americans – sloppy of who we are aliases wherever we unrecorded – should beryllium capable to do truthful without fearing for our lives,” Biden said. “Sonya’s decease astatine nan hands of a responding serviceman reminds america that each excessively often Black Americans look fears for their information successful ways galore of nan remainder of america do not.”

Massey’s decease is nan latest illustration of Black group killed successful caller years by constabulary successful their homes.

In May, a Hispanic Florida sheriff’s lawman changeable and killed Roger Fortson, erstwhile nan Air Force elder airman opened nan doorway of his location successful Fort Walton Beach equipped pinch a handgun pointed down. The deputy, Eddie Duran, was fired.

In 2019, a achromatic Fort Worth, Texas, serviceman fatally changeable Atatiana Jefferson done a rear model of her location aft responding to a nonemergency telephone reporting that Jefferson’s beforehand doorway was open. Aaron Dean, nan erstwhile officer, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to astir 12 years successful prison.

In 2018, a achromatic Dallas constabulary serviceman fatally changeable Botham Jean, who was unarmed, aft mistaking his flat for her own. Amber Guyger, nan erstwhile officer, was convicted of execution and was sentenced to 10 years successful prison.

Crump has represented families successful each lawsuit arsenic portion of his effort to unit accountability for nan killings of Black group astatine nan hands of police. Crump besides has represented relatives of Earl Moore, a Springfield man who died aft he was strapped look down connected a stretcher successful December 2022. Two emergency aesculapian professionals look execution charges successful that case.

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AP writer Sophia Tareen contributed from Chicago.