The white sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a black woman inside her Illinois home after she called 911 said he felt threatened when she invoked the name of Jesus.
Deputy Sean Grayson, 30, said he believed that when Sonya Massey, 36, said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she intended to cause deadly harm, according to his field report.
“I interpreted this to mean she was going to kill me,” Grayson wrote, adding that when she pulled out her gun and Massey ducked behind a counter separating them, he moved around the obstacle out of fear she was going to grab a gun.
Grayson and a second unidentified officer had responded to Massey’s call about a suspected prowler shortly before 1 a.m. on July 7.
Inside his home, Grayson ordered a pot of water removed from a stove burner. Grayson and Massey chuckled as he cautiously stepped away from the “hot, steaming water.”
Officer Sean Grayson draws his gun as Sonya Massey hides in her kitchen on July 6.
“Sonya turned to look at me while holding the pot. She did not know what type of liquid was boiling,” Grayson wrote in his report three days after the incident.
‘I advised Sonia to leave the liquid boiling. Sonia said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus. She said it twice. I interpreted that to mean she was going to kill me.’
Grayson then pulled out his gun and yelled orders to “drop the pot.” Massey ducked behind the counter, stood up and appeared to grab the pot again before diving for cover. Grayson said he walked over to the counter and around it to keep an eye on Massey, fearful that he might have a concealed weapon.
“As I approached the closet, Sonya stood up, grabbed the pot, raised it over her head and threw the scalding substance at me,” Grayson said.
“I was in imminent fear that the boiling liquid would fall on my face or chest, which would have caused serious bodily harm or death.”
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s killing.
This undated photo provided by the family’s attorneys in July 2024 shows Sonya Massey.
It’s not clear from the video whether Massey attempted to dump the contents of the pan, and she was hidden from view as Grayson fired three 9mm rounds, one of which hit Massey just below the eye.
His report then states that he looked down and saw that the liquid had “touched my boots and I observed steam coming out of the cabinet area.”
By the time Grayson completed the field report on July 9, he had already been placed on administrative leave. The document states he received permission from the department to review body camera video, most of which had been recorded by the other officer’s camera. Grayson said he thought his was on when the two first encountered Massey at the door, but he didn’t turn it on until shortly after the shooting.
The other officer’s report was not part of the release, which included reports from seven other officers about their activities at the shooting scene, all completed on July 6 and one completed on July 7, heavily redacted before publication, by an officer who had a casual conversation with someone who was familiar with Massey.
Grayson faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault and official misconduct in the death of the Springfield woman that has sparked nationwide protests over the killing of black people by police in their homes.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, Massey’s family has called for the resignation of Sheriff Jack Campbell, who has refused to step down, arguing that Grayson’s past problems should have precluded a law enforcement assignment.
The family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Massey’s family has said she had mental health issues. She greeted officers at her front door by repeatedly chanting, “Please God,” and inside the home, she asked Grayson to pass her a Bible.
