In a significant development, newly released audio has unveiled that the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey by an Illinois officer, who is now facing murder charges, was initially reported as a self-inflicted injury.
Earlier this week, disturbing footage surfaced showing the harrowing moment when Sonya Massey was shot three times. The footage reveals Massey apologizing to officers and retreating after one officer threatened to shoot her "in the f–king face" while she held a pot of boiling water.
Additionally, bodycam footage released by the Illinois State Police captures a dispatcher questioning the responding Sangamon County sheriff's deputies, "Just to confirm: self-inflicted?" An unidentified voice responds, "Self-inflicted," a few moments later.
This new evidence has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the accuracy and integrity of the initial reports provided by law enforcement.
However, the video clearly showed 30-year-old Deputy Sean Grayson shooting her inside her home after she apologized and moved away from him. A grand jury indicted Grayson. He has since been terminated from his position and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
Who Is Sean Grayson?
The family of Sonya Massey is demanding an investigation into the hiring of the sheriff's deputy accused of fatally shooting the 36-year-old Black woman in her Illinois home this month. They cite concerns over records indicating he had worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years and faced two DUI charges.
Court records indicate that Grayson has pleaded not guilty and was denied pretrial release. Additionally, the state's training and standards board has suspended Grayson's law enforcement certification.
Massey joins a tragic list of Black women, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson, who police have killed within their own homes in recent years. Black men have also been victims of similar tragedies.
In 2021, a Virginia sheriff's deputy was indicted on felony charges for firing multiple times at an unarmed Black man, Isiah Brown, mistakenly identifying the cordless landline phone in his hand as a gun.
During a press conference on Monday afternoon, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Massey's family, drew parallels between her death and other instances of police violence against Black individuals across the United States. Here's what we know about the former deputy facing murder charges in Massey's death.
Background On The Charged Officer
Records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board show that Grayson has been employed by six different law enforcement agencies in the state since 2020.
He started part-time with Pawnee police, then moved on to Kincaid and Virden police departments. After that, he held full-time positions at Auburn police, the Logan County Sheriff's Office, and finally Sangamon County in May 2023.
CNN obtained Grayson's resignation from the Auburn Police Department. It does not indicate any underlying problems or disciplinary actions that led to his departure. "I have had nothing but a positive experience working as an officer. Unfortunately, I have chosen to move on to Logan County Sheriff's Office," he wrote in it.
Grayson left the Virden and Pawnee police departments because he wanted full-time work. According to his Auburn Police Department job application, obtained by CNN, he blamed reduced hours for his departure from the Kincaid Police Department.
Grayson has a criminal record, including two DUI misdemeanour charges filed in Macoupin County, Illinois, one in 2015 and another in 2016. Grayson's first DUI charge came in August 2015, resulting in his vehicle being impounded.
Grayson admitted guilt to the 2015 DUI charge, paying over $1,320 in fines. A separate DUI charge alleging a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent was dropped. Grayson was again charged with DUI in July of the following year, 2016. After pleading guilty, he paid over $2,400 in fines.
Grayson disclosed a previous DUI arrest and charge on his job application to the Auburn Police Department. According to CNN affiliate WICS, a petition demanding an investigation into Sangamon County's hiring of Grayson was circulated at a Springfield rally on Monday night.
Massey's family and legal team have demanded a county investigation into Grayson's hiring, citing concerns over his criminal history and job instability. As questions swirl around Grayson's hiring and his past, the community awaits answers and accountability in the wake of Massey's tragic death.
