Sonya Massey's Death Ruled Homicide: Family and Attorney Demand Justice for Fatal Police Shooting
(Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
The death of Sonya Massey, an Illinois woman fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy, has been ruled a homicide due to a gunshot wound to the head, according to an autopsy report released Friday by the Sangamon County coroner.
"The cause of death; gunshot wound of the head. The manner of death; Homicide," Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon confirmed to ABC News.
Massey, 36, was shot in the head, with the bullet entering her left eyelid and exiting through the back of her neck, according to the autopsy report. The tragic incident occurred while she was responding to her own 911 call about a possible intruder at her Springfield home on July 6.
At a press conference held in Springfield, Illinois, after the report's release, Massey's family expressed their grief and outrage. "Sonya meant the world to me. I loved her so much. This tragedy has been so much on my family. Her kids. Her daughter cannot sleep at night," said Shadia Massey, Sonya's cousin. "This is the hardest thing that we have ever been through as a Massey. It just breaks my heart that our family has to go through this."
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Massey's family, stated that the autopsy report further supports their case against the deputy's actions. "The autopsy confirmed what everybody already knew with the video," Crump said. "That this was just a senseless and unnecessary excessive use of force, completely unnecessary, certainly not justified."
Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy who shot Massey, has been fired and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.
Body camera footage released by Illinois State Police shows the moments leading up to the shooting. In the video, Grayson can be heard yelling at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water. Despite Massey pleading, "Please, don't hurt me," Grayson threatened to shoot her. Massey poured the water into the sink, ducked behind a counter, and was shot three times in the face by Grayson, according to the footage.
The footage, which came from the body camera of Grayson's partner, revealed that Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, a point of significant controversy.
An Illinois State Police review concluded that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. Additional reports have surfaced about Grayson's troubled past, including being discharged from the U.S. Army for "misconduct (serious offense)" and having two prior DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois.
Grayson's attorney, Dan Fultz, has declined to comment on the case. The incident has sparked calls for accountability and justice from Massey's family and supporters, who continue to mourn her loss and seek answers.