Illinois deputy charged with murder after fatally shooting Sonya Massey inside her home

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – An Illinois deputy fatally shot a woman in the face inside her home after she called 911 to report a possible intruder, even as she put her arms in the air and said "I'm sorry" while ducking for cover, charging documents revealed.

Sean P. Grayson, who has since been terminated from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, was arraigned before Presiding Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin in Sangamon County Court Thursday on three counts of first-degree murder and two other counts from the July 6 shooting inside the home of Sonya Massey. Grayson pleaded not guilty to all five counts.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called the shooting "heartbreaking."

"I feel," Pritzker said, "not just for the family of the victim, but also the families of Sangamon County and then all people of color who have had to endure these kinds of circumstances and to witness them because it affects everyone, even if it hasn't happened to you specifically."

The fatal police assault on Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, has garnered national attention and spurred community protests, including one that drew about 200 people to the Springfield NAACP Building on Wednesday. Renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been retained by the family, who applauded Cadagin's denial of bail.

"Today’s decision by the judge to hold Deputy Sean Grayson in custody without bail marks another crucial step in the pursuit of justice for Sonya Massey’s family, emphasizing the gravity of the charges and the severity of the officer’s actions," Crump said. "Sonya’s death has been extremely shocking and devastating for her family and community. We hope that this officer continues to be held accountable for his deadly actions in order to restore trust and rebuild faith within this grieving community."

Court documents detail moments leading up to fatal gunshot

Grayson, a 30-year-old Riverton, Illinois, resident, had been with the sheriff's department since May 2023 before being terminated by Sheriff Jack Campbell on Wednesday.

Campbell said in a statement that Grayson "did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards" and his actions "do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole."

According to documents, Grayson drew his 9-millimeter gun and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. Grayson "aggressively yelled" for her to put down a pot of boiling water. As Grayson drew close to Massey, he fired three times at about 1:21 a.m., striking her once in the face. Grayson had not activated his body-worn camera until then, though another sheriff's deputy, who has not been named, had his activated after arriving at Massey's house.

Grayson, the documents said, instructed the other deputy not to retrieve a medical kit from his vehicle because of the severity of Massey's injury. The other deputy did render aid and stayed with Massey until an ambulance arrived.

Massey died of a single gunshot wound, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.

State police probe concludes deputy not justified in use of force

Campbell said the investigation was turned over to Illinois State Police after he was notified on July 6.

An expert in the field of "use of force" reviewed the body cam footage as part of the state police investigation and concluded that Grayson was not justified in the use of deadly force. The expert "likened the scenario to an officer intentionally and unnecessarily putting himself in front of a moving vehicle and then justifying use of force because of fear of being struck."

The body cam footage is set to be released to the public Monday morning.

Judge denies request for bail

Defense attorney Dan Fultz requested Grayson's release from detainment, telling the court he wasn't a threat to flee and had remained at home since the shooting.

Grayson, who has worked for several other law enforcement agencies in the area, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in October. Fultz said Grayson had "a medical incident" overnight with his colostomy bag, another reason he asked that Grayson be released.

Cadagin said Grayson's callousness during and after the shooting, including not rendering help to Massey, was one of the reasons he ordered Grayson to continue to be detained pre-trial, denying his petition, in accordance with the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.

A large contingent of Massey's family attended the hearing and several people in the courtroom applauded Cadagin's decision. Several members of the Springfield NAACP, the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, and Black Lives Matter Springfield were also in attendance.

A dozen uniformed personnel were in the courtroom with several more deputies in the hallway. Grayson's next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26.

2023 was deadliest year for police killings

Thursday's murder arraignment is the latest development in police-involved killings to sweep the nation as civil rights advocates sound the alarm on the rise of such incidents. A Mapping Police Violence report released earlier this year found that 2023 was the deadliest year for police killings in the U.S.

Police killed more than 1,300 people in 2023, a year that saw several high-profile cases, including the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, the shooting of an environmental activist who was protesting the construction of a police and fire training center near Atlanta, and the death of a Virginia man who was "smothered" in a hospital.

There were only 14 days without a police killing last year and on average, law enforcement officers killed someone every 6.6 hours, according to the report, which is primarily based on news reports and includes data from state and local government agencies.

The number of such killings has risen since Campaign Zero, which runs the Mapping Police Violence project, began tracking the data in 2013.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY