Early in the morning on July 6, Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old resident of Springfield, Illinois, called 911 to report a prowler at her home. Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy responded around 1:50 a.m. Half an hour later, Grayson fatally shot Massey in the face. His justification for that use of deadly force was so implausible that last week he was fired and charged with first-degree murder.
Body camera video released on Monday illuminates the circumstances of the shooting, which President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris publicly condemned this week. After searching the property and finding no intruders, Grayson and his colleague repeatedly knock on Massey's door. It takes a while for her to respond, and she explains that she was getting dressed. Her demeanor is calm, but she is behaving oddly. "Please don't hurt me," she says after opening the door. She says she heard "somebody outside my house," adding, "Please God, please God" as she looks at her cellphone.
