Minutes after body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of a woman who called 911 for help in Illinois was released Monday, President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning the deputy's actions and saying Sonya Massey "should be alive today."
"Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today," Biden said in a statement. "Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not."
Officials in Springfield released video showing police entering Massey's home after she called 911 for help with a potential intruder. A violent scene ensued when a sheriff’s deputy shot her in the face over a pot of water, then declined to provide medical aid in the minutes following.
The shooting prompted first-degree murder charges against former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson.
Ben Crump, the noted civil rights attorney who is representing Massey’s family, told the crowd at her funeral in Springfield that the video would reveal a crime as startling as the 1955 lynching of Chicago teenager Emmitt Till in Mississippi, the Chicago police shooting of Laquan McDonald and the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.
The Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office released multiple edited video segments, totaling approximately 35 minutes, on Monday as questions surrounding the incident continued to mount.
Body-worn camera clips of the July 6 incident showed deputies with the sheriff's office responding to Massey's home and spending several minutes searching through nearby yards. They eventually interact with Massey at her front door.
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The two deputies who responded to the call explain they searched the area and didn't find anyone, to which Massey replies, "Please God , please God, I'm trying to get help, ya'll."
The deputies then ask - multiple times - what Massey needs help with and the Springfield woman replies she heard somebody outside. The deputies then ask for her name follow her into the house.
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While Grayson talks to Massey, his partner begins searching different rooms of the home, the footage showed. The deputies then ask for her ID so they "can then get out of her hair."
After receiving permission from Grayson, Massey walks over to her stove, grabs a boiling pot of water sitting on top of it and asks the deputies, "Where are you going?" as they back away.
"...Away from your hot steaming water," one officer said.
Massey can then be heard saying, "I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Grayson then pulled his 9mm pistol and threatened to shoot Massey, according to the footage.
Massey can be heard apologizing as she ducks behind her kitchen counter before Grayson fires shots.
According to the footage, Grayson advised his partner not to give medical aid to Massey because of the severity of her injuries.
"Not with a head shot..." he says on body camera video. "She's done. You can go get [a medical kit], but that's a head shot."
Grayson, speaking to his partner, says he wasn't going to "take hot, boiling water to the f---ing face."
The other deputy provided emergency assistance and stayed with Massey until medical personnel arrived.
"She's still gasping a little bit," he can be heard saying as he holds a rag to her head while Grayson appears to say in the background he's "not going to waste" his medical kit.
Grayson was fired last week. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
If convicted, he faces prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery and two to five years for misconduct. His lawyer, Daniel Fultz, declined comment on Monday.
Massey’s death prompted subsequent protests demanding justice in the case. Echoing that call at her funeral, Massey’s father, James Wilburn, said he’s encouraged by the speed with which the Illinois State Police, which investigated the incident, and Milhiser acted.
“In 10 days, they convened a grand jury. They completed their investigation. They arrested, they got him fired,” Wilburn said. “That’s unheard of.”
Biden echoed that sentiment in his statement Monday.
"Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time," the statement read. "I commend the swift actions that were taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office. While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving."
