An autopsy report released Friday confirmed that 36-year-old Sonya Massey died of a gunshot wound to the head after she was shot by a Sangamon County deputy.
In a six-page document, the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office says Massey was shot below his left eye.
“Based on the information available to me and the results of the autopsy, it is my opinion that Sonya Massey … died of a gunshot wound to the head,” the statement said.
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Massey’s family, said the findings confirm “this was a senseless, unnecessary, excessive use of force.”
“Totally unnecessary,” he added. “Definitely not justified. I mean, how can this be justified?”
Massey was shot inside his Springfield, Illinois home on July 6 after Sangamon County deputies responded to his 911 call about a possible prowler.
Body camera video released Monday shows deputy Sean Grayson and his partner talking to Massey outside her home. The views then show the delegates inside.
Massey is seen in the video walking to her kitchen and taking boiling water from the stove. Grayson curses Massey, telling her “You better not do good. I swear to God, I’ll shoot you right in the face.” Both deputies yell at Massey to drop the pot before Grayson opens fire.
Court records say Grayson did not help after the shooting and did not discourage his accomplice from doing so.
Grayson was fired by the department and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Last week he pleaded not guilty on his own terms and a judge ordered him held without bail.
Sheriff Jack Campbell called Grayson’s actions “inexcusable” and “irresponsible.”
“There are other options that Grayson should have used,” Campbell said Report Body camera footage was released on Monday. “His actions were inexcusable and did not reflect the values or training of our office. He will now face conviction by the criminal justice system and will never work in law enforcement again.”
News of Grayson’s shooting and arrest is “a step toward justice for Sonia’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since the tragedy was announced,” Crump said.
An Illinois State Police summary of the shooting says the car found at Massey’s home appears to have been broken into. Deputies found Massey “disoriented and not thinking clearly,” according to the summary.
Once inside his home, Grayson waved at a container on the stove, the summary states. It says Massey turned off the burner, picked up the pot, took it to the sink and turned on the faucet.
Massey asked the deputies what they were doing according to the brief, and Grayson responded that they were walking away from the boiling water.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said twice, according to the summary. Grayson then threatened to shoot Massey in the face.
According to the summary, after Grayson pulled his gun and ordered Massey to drop the pot, she dropped it and ducked down a row of cabinets in the kitchen.
She put her hands in the air and apologized in front of the duck, according to court documents. According to the synopsis, when Grayson approached her, she quickly stood up, grabbed the pot, and threw the scalding hot water on the chair next to the cabinets. Grayson fired three times, hitting him once in the face.
Crump said Friday that Massey struggled with his mental health. A few weeks before her death, it was decided that her two children would live with their father when she sought help, he said.
“She needed a helping hand, not a bullet in the face,” Crump said. “She needed those officers to extend an ounce of humanity, not kill her.”
Her son, Malachi Massey, told reporters that deputies arrived at his mother’s home on July 5, the day before the shooting. She took herself to a hospital that day following an incident, he said. Massey said he did not know why deputies responded to the home or what happened before he arrived at his mother’s home.
“All this week, before all of this happened, I was trying to get her into a psych [facility],” he said.
Sonia’s uncle, Raymond Massey, remembers her as someone who rarely got angry.
“She’s a beautiful black queen,” he said. “She was the only family member, my wife and I were talking last night, I never saw her angry or mad. She was always full of love, she loved her children and God.”
