'You Killed The Wrong Black Woman This Time': Dad Of US Woman Shot By Cop Seeks Justice

In a hair-raising video, Illinois Police released bodycam footage of the brutal killing of a black woman, 36-year-old Sonya Massey, at her home over Independence Day weekend. The incident happened on July 6 when Massey had dialled 911 to ask for help when she suspected an intruder at her home. Tragically, the officer who attended to her became her murderer. 

In the video, the officers, who are at Massey's home in Springfield, can be seen questioning her and asking if she needs other help. They then demanded to see her ID proof saying that her driving license would do. Seeing the gas stove on with a pot of steaming water on it, the officer says that he doesn't want a fire when he is in the house. 

Laughs over steaming water turns brutal

Massey immediately goes and switches off the stove and starts putting the pot of water in the slab. At that time, the officers and Massey seem to be sharing a laugh. Things turned fatal when Massey said while laughing, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” twice. 

This apparently enraged the officer and he says, "You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I'll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face.” He pulls out his pistol and shouts at Massey to keep the pot of steaming water down. 

Massey ducks after saying, “OK, I am sorry.” This was the last we could hear from Massey as the sounds of shooting started. 

The scene after the shooting 

The officer who shot her was Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson who has now been sacked from the police force and has been charged with murder and official misconduct.

After shooting, Grayson says, "What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”

Grayson then tells his fellow officer that Massey will not need medical help. The partner Deputy still gets a medical kit but Grayson says, "She's done. You can go get it, but that's a headshot.” The Deputy is seen getting his medical kit when Grayson says that they can at least stop the bleeding. 

The victim's family was told she killed herself

Massey's father, James Wilburn, spoke at a press conference on July 23, seeking justice for his daughter. In a video released by The Guardian, he was seen saying, "This man (sheriff) should never had a badge. He should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child."

The grieving man added, "He had some serious blemishes on his record. Serious! This man had two convictions for driving under the influence (DUI), and he was a member of law enforcement? What an embarrassment... to this country, to this county! I want justice for my baby. You killed the wrong Black woman this time!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Guardian (@guardian)

In a shocking revelation, the family stated that the police initially told Massey’s loved ones she had either killed herself or was killed by an intruder. “They tried to make me believe that a neighbour had done it,” said Jimmie Crawford Jr, Massey’s former partner and the father of one of her children. He added that law enforcement told nurses at the hospital that the victim had “killed herself”. Crawford Jr questioned, "How do you get that confused?"

Cop didn't plead guilty 

Shocking enough, Grayson has not pleaded guilty yet. Until July 22 he was kept in custody without any bond. On July 22, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said that Grayson's act was not justified. 

Reactions from the politicians 

Even the politicians have expressed shock at the incident. President Joe Biden said he was heartbroken. He added that the incident was a reminder “that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not."

Kamala Harris, Vice-President, said on X, Sonya Massey deserved to be safe. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many - we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name."

Calling the footage horrific, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul gave a statement on July 22 saying, “As the community reacts to the release of the footage, I urge calm as this matter works its way through the criminal justice system.” 

The footage would "shock the conscience of America,” said Personal injury lawyer Benjamin Crump. Massey’s family's Attorney has commended the swift action of the prosecution.