by Illinois State Police have released footage showing the moment a sheriff’s deputy shot a Black woman dead in her home while responding to her call for help.
Sonya Massey, 36, was shot on July 6 when she removed a pot of boiling water from the stove at the request of officers, who were responding to a 911 call in which she reported a suspected inmate.
Her killing sparked widespread outrage and has been condemned by US President Joe Biden.
Sean Grayson, the 30-year-old deputy who shot her, has been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and charged last week with three counts of first-degree murder.
He fired three shots at Ms Massey, according to the indictment. He also faces a charge of aggravated battery and a charge of official misconduct. Grayson pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Newly released body camera video shows how he and another deputy responded to Ms Massey’s call.
They arrived at her home in Springfield, 200 miles southwest of Chicago, shortly before 1am on July 6.
The officers walked around her house and found a black SUV with broken windows in the driveway.
It took Ms Massey three minutes to open the door after the deputies knocked, and she immediately said: “Don’t hurt me.”
She looked confused as they spoke at the door. Ms Massey repeated that she needed help, referred to God, and told them she did not know who owned the car.
Inside the home, the deputies stand by as she sits on her couch and looks through her purse for identification, so the deputies could fill out a report before leaving.
Then Grayson points out a pot sitting on a flame on the stove.
“We don’t need a fire while we’re here,” he can be heard saying.
Ms Massey immediately stands up and goes to the cooker, moving the pot close to the sink. She and Grayson seem to be laughing over their “steaming hot water” pan.
She then says “I allow you in the name of Jesus”, after which Grayson points his gun at her and threatens to shoot her.
As Grayson orders her to drop the pot, Ms Massey says, “I’m sorry” and starts to duck. Grayson instructs her to drop the pot again. The second officer then also draws his firearm.
Ms Massey does not appear to make any verbal threats or make any movements towards the officers.
Grayson takes two steps towards the kitchen, yells at her to drop the pot again and starts shooting.
He then informs his superiors that he shot Ms Massey in the face and turns on his body camera. The entire incident was captured on the second officer’s camera.
Grayson was in the living room when he fired the shots, facing Miss Massey but separated by a counter that divided the living room and the kitchen.
Prosecutors have said the separation allowed Grayson “relative distance and cover” from Ms Massey and the hot pot.
After shooting her, Grayson dissuades his partner from getting medical equipment to save her.
“You can go get it, but that’s one shot,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do, man.”
He added: “What else do we do? I’m not bringing hot boiling water on a f*****g”
Noticing that Miss Massey was still breathing, he came back and said he would get his equipment too. The other representative said: “We can at least try to stop the bleeding.”
Grayson told responding police: “She had boiling water and she came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to criticize me in the name of Jesus and she came to me with boiling water.”
Mr Biden said in a statement on Monday: “Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that Black Americans too often fear for their safety in ways that many of the rest of us do not.
“I applaud the actions taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office. While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray for comfort to the grieving,” he said, calling on lawmakers to pass a stalled police reform bill named after George Floyd, who was choked to death by a white officer in 2020.
“It’s terrifying. I mean, every part of the vision,” Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer representing the Massey family, said at a news conference.
Mr Crump said Ms Massey may have appeared to have mental health issues, but the officer was not justified in using deadly force. The video shows she was not aggressive or threatening to the officers, he said.
“Imagine if there was no video, what the story would be,” Mr Crump said.
Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The defendant was remanded in custody until his next court date on August 26.
