SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — A sheriff’s deputy has been jailed on multiple murder charges after he was accused of shooting a woman in the face during a disagreement over a pot of boiling water in her home, reports say.
Former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, who was fired Wednesday, was one of two deputies who responded to the home of Sonya Massey, 36, on July 6 after she called to report a possible prowler. After the shooting, he discouraged his partner from trying to help Massey, who died of her wounds, according to court documents.
Grayson, 30, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Sangamon County Court to three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct, court records show. He is being held in jail without bail.
“First and foremost, my heart breaks for the family and friends of Sonya Massey,” Sheriff Jack Campbell says in a statement online. “This is a tragic incident, and we mourn with them and the community. ... It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.”
Grayson and a second deputy went to Massey’s home just before 1 a.m. on July 6, a news release from the sheriff’s office says. The deputies reportedly searched the area for the prowler, but at 1:21 a.m., they reported that shots had been fired and Massey had been wounded. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Additional details were in court documents filed by Indiana State Police on Thursday, according to NBC News. The deputies knocked on the door of Massey’s home to check on her. Grayson noticed the pot of boiling water on the stove, so Massey turned off the burner, moved the pot to the kitchen sink and turned on the water, the summary says.
Massey, who is Black, reportedly asked what the deputies were doing and Grayson, who is white, responded “Getting away from your hot, steaming water.”
Massey twice said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” the documents show, and Grayson reportedly started yelling “I swear to God. I will shoot you right in your f------ face.” He then took out his handgun and pointed it at Massey, reports say.
Massey then put her hands in the air, said “I’m sorry” and ducked behind some cabinets, reports say. Grayson approached with his gun drawn when Massey reportedly stood up and grabbed the pot. Grayson yelled for her to drop the pot, but she threw the hot water onto a chair near the cabinets she had hid behind, NBC News reports.
Grayson then fired three times, hitting Massey once in the face. Grayson is accused of discouraging his partner of rendering aid, telling him the wound was too severe. Reports say the deputy still gave aid to Massey, but Grayson did not offer assistance.
The State Journal-Register reports that as part of the state’s investigation into the shooting, an expert in the field of “use of force” reviewed body-camera footage of the shooting. Grayson’s use of force was not justified, the expert said.
Ben Crump, an attorney for Massey’s family, said the charges were a “step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy.”
Grayson had worked with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department for about 18 months. He previously was an officer with several other police agencies in Illinois.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)