Video footage captured the final moments of an African American woman who was killed by a police officer in her home in Illinois, an incident that ignited outrage across the United States. Sonia Massey, 36, was shot by an officer who arrived at her home in Springfield, Illinois, shortly after midnight on July 6. The Sangamon County State's Attorney's office released footage showing the last actions of Officer Shawn Grayson and Massey, who had called emergency services regarding a possible burglar in her home.
In the recorded clips, Grayson and a colleague can be seen knocking on her door several times until she finally opened it. Massey can be heard saying to Grayson from her doorstep, “Please don’t hurt me,” to which he replies, “Why would I hurt you? You called us.”
The officers informed Massey that they had checked the area around her home and found no one, then asked if she needed assistance. The accused officer inquired about her mental state, and she replied affirmatively. Later, Massey can be seen heading inside to extinguish a pot of boiling water. As she lifts the pot from the stove, one of the officers steps back, prompting Massey to ask why, and he responds jokingly, “Away from your boiling hot water.”
Tensions escalated when Massey said angrily, “I’m rebuking you in the name of Jesus.” The officer expressed surprise, and Massey repeated the phrase. Grayson then stated, “You better not do that or I swear I’ll shoot you in the face.” He then draws his firearm and aims it at her, as she bends down saying, “I’m sorry,” while still holding the pot. He tells her twice, “Put the pot down,” before firing his weapon, and she falls to the ground.
Afterward, one of the officers commented that they were afraid of “getting boiling hot water thrown in their face.”
In connection with the shooting of Massey in the face, the Sangamon County Deputy charged the officer after he and another officer were dispatched to her home shortly before 1 a.m. Sangamon County State Attorney John Milhiser announced the charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. The officer pleaded not guilty in court last week, and the court denied his attorney's request for him to be released on bail.