SANGAMON COUNTY, Ill. — Prosecutors in Illinois have released body camera footage showing law enforcement officers opening fire on an unarmed Black woman who called them for help.
The 36-minute video, which is disturbing to some viewers, was released through the Illinois State State Police, CNN reported.
The Washington Post called the July 6 shooting a routine call that turned deadly.
Sonya Massey had called 911 because she had seen a prowler at her home earlier this month.
Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy from Sangamon County were looking around Massey’s home.
They searched the front and back of her home outside, The New York Times reported.
They found a car had been broken into but no other signs of a prowler.
The deputies then went inside Massey’s home to talk to her and make sure the house was safe.
Grayson noticed a pot on the stove and had Massey remove it to prevent a fire. She turned off the appliance and carried the hot water to the sink and turned on the faucet.
Massey and the deputies were several feet away from each other, the Times reported.
The other, unidentified deputy, started backing up and Massey can be heard asking “Where are you going?” and the deputy replied, “Away from your hot, steaming water,” The Washington Post reported.
Massey then said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” She repeated it to the seemingly confused officers.
Grayson then told her, “I swear to God I’ll [EXPLETIVE] shoot you right in your [EXPLETIVE] face.” He then pulled out his gun and pointed it at her.
Massey told them “Okay, I’m sorry,” holding the pot in front of her and hiding behind the cabinets that separated them.
Grayson then approaches Massey. Both deputies yelled “Drop the [EXPLETIVE] pot,” CNN reported. The sound of three gunshots follows, one hitting her in the face.
Grayson asked the other deputy within seconds, “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot boiling water to the [EXPLICTIVE] face.”
Massey died at an area hospital.
Illinois state police said the shooting was not justified.
A use-of-force expert compared the shooting 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.”
Prosecutor Mary Rodgers said Grayson’s actions showed “disregard of his training as a law enforcement officer, and his disregard for human life, shows by clear and convincing evidence that he is a danger to persons in the community.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Massey “needed a healing hand. She did not need a bullet to the face.” Crump is representing Massey’s family.
He said that Grayson could have used a Taser or called for backup instead of shooting Massey, the Times reported.
Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
He is being held at the Menard County Detention Facility without bond. He faces life in prison if convicted of murder. Grayson has also been fired, The Washington Post reported.
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