Earlier this month Sean Grayson, along with another Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy were dispatched to Sony Massey's home after she called 911 for help to investigate a prowler. At approximately 1:21 am, the Deputies reported shots fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire, according to the sheriff's office official statement.
Massey was transported to St. John's Hospital and at 1:47 am she was pronounced deceased. Massey died at the age of 36. Massey's family has hired Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump to represent the family as legal counsel. Ben Crump said,
"It is extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls the police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot in the head by the police at her own home," Crump said in a statement to ABC News. "We demand that all body camera footage from this incident be released immediately so that Sonya's family and the public can see what happened in those 30 deadly minutes."
This officer involved shooting is now being investigated by the Illinois State Police, which will not release the body camera footage, "to protect the integrity of the legal process and the right to a fair trial in the event of charges are filed."
Governor JB Pritzker called the charges appropriate in a statement Wednesday night and said he is enraged by the shooting.
A protest was held in Springfield, Illinois on last Friday demanding Justice and accountability in Massey's Death. Sean Grayson has since been fired from the Sheriff Department and is facing murder charges. He pled not guilty to murder on July 18, 2024.
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