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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Nina Roberts

Illinois officer charged with killing Sonya Massey had history of ‘bullying’

A bald Black man wearing a black suit and pink tie, in a room with two young Black people and a Black police officer, points to a poster on an easel, of, on the left, a Black woman, and on the right, an outline of a head.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family of Sonya Massey, on 26 June 2024 in Springfield, Illinois. Photograph: John O’Connor/AP

As vigils for Sonya Massey take place across the US this weekend, a history of unethical and aggressive behavior by the officer who shot her, Sean P Grayson, is emerging. Grayson’s disciplinary file includes accusations of bullying behavior and abuse of power, according to CBS News.

Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two living outside Springfield, Illinois, had called 911 when she thought a prowler was lurking outside her home on 6 July. Grayson and another officer from the Sangamon county sheriff’s office were dispatched and arrived at her home. Instead of helping Massey with a possible intruder, Grayson shot her in the face after she moved a pot of water from her kitchen stove at their request.

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