An Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman inside her home, a death that led to protests about justice for the Black victim.

Sonya Massey was killed after Sangamon County deputies responded to her 911 call early on July 6, State’s Attorney John Milhiser said.

A statement from Milhiser doesn’t describe the circumstances that preceded the shooting at Massey’s home in Springfield, 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of Chicago. But he said a review of body-camera video doesn’t support the use of deadly force.

Deputy Sean Grayson was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, Milhiser said Wednesday.

Ben Crump, an attorney for Massey’s family, said the 36-year-old woman had called police about a suspected intruder in her home. He said she was unarmed and shot in the face.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    This pig must have done something indescribable if they charged him before the body cam went public.

    Think about it, you’d have to have a police official, a prosecutor, and a union guy all agree that they cant’ defend what this pig did.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      I think you’re right. They must see this as something indefensible and seek to separate themselves as quickly as possible. Or, maybe we’re actually seeing a shift in the culture of policing and they’re less likely to defend at all costs. I would much prefer that to be the real reason, though I won’t get my hopes up.

      Prosecutors said Grayson discouraged the other deputy from getting a medical kit from their vehicle.

      Releasing that detail does not bode well for what’s on the recordings.

      • marron12@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        An Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the death of a Black woman shot her in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water in her home, authorities said Thursday.

        Prosecutors said Grayson “aggressively yelled” at Massey to put a pot down. They said she put her hands in the air and ducked for cover before she was shot in the face.

        And then right after that is the part about the medical kit. So you kill someone who asked for help because they were holding a pot of water.

        • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Seems like the idiot forgot about body cams and wanted no witness testimony. He didnt want her surviving, he wanted her silent.

    • GiuseppeAndTheYeti@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      It’s worse than a lot of people are imagining. They were responding to her call about someone that was lurking around her house/neighborhood. The police arrived when she was making dinner and she wasn’t in the kitchen. She stood and talked to the two officers with a calm demeanor then they allowed her to/told her to move the pot off the stove to reduce a fire risk. Then the officer charged in her murder shot her from a considerable distance after telling her he was going to shoot her in the face if she didn’t put the pot down.

      When the other officer said he was going to retrieve the first aid kit, the demented POS that shot her in the face told him not to bother due to the extent of her injuries. Fortunately he went and got it anyway because it seems that he’s at least somewhat competent at his job. He also was the only one of the two to have his body cam footage rolling during the whole interaction. The officer charged didn’t attempt to turn his cam on until after he fired his weapon.

      There’s protests scheduled to be taking place today and the vocal minority in and around town are screaming about how there’s going to be riot violence and looting of businesses downtown.

      • isles@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I’ve become so cynical that I fear for the 2nd officers life for not having the other guy’s back. Hope there are no training accidents.

    • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      He shot a woman for no good reason. That’s enough. People care more when bad things happen to women.

      It’s why black folks being a larger share of people shot by police than their share of population is definitely racist but no one bats an eye at more than 95% of folks shot by police being men.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      First degree murder too, which maybe is overcharged to avoid conviction, but that’s still one he’ll of a charge.

      • Zannsolo@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        They can convict on 2nd degree murder in Illinois. It’s the same basic points to find them guilty but they can consider mitigating factors to lower it from 1 to 2.

    • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      They’ve been murdering us for centuries. You’re outraged about this one. What the fuck, indeed.

      Please do better, friend. Remember that you’re wearing our badge (.ml).

      Also, nice username.

        • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
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          Well, I’m sorta tired of being murdered, moderates faking outrage, then they rationalize trying to remove the best tool I’ve got to defend my family from those murdering me.

          I’m sure you can understand why I’ll respond to your shallow judgement of smugness with a curt, Go fuck yourself, moderate. I’ll set the timetable for my freedom. You can take credit as always once we do all the work.

          • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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            5 months ago

            The part about cops and citizens is fine and valid.

            It’s the “ml” stuff as if that’s some sort of pedigreed club. It’s not.

            ( You aren’t even logged in on that instance, by my vision on voyager app)

            • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
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              If someone decides to wear a badge of a Marxist-Lenninist then I’ll hold them to a higher standard. It’s been our way for at least a century. It still serves its purpose well.

              • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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                5 months ago

                Ah yes because we all know Marxist Leninist governance always has respectful, resolution first policing. No strong-arm, obscure, extrajudicial actions there.

                Truly a high standard.

                Edit to be clear: I fully agree with the original part of your comment about policing and murder.

                I do not agree with the concept that ML style governance has ever demonstrated an alternative, or even that that system could.

                Edit edit to be hyper clear: I acknowledge US policing is atrocious, and in many ways is a product of the system. I’m not whatabouting out of nowhere, I’m suggesting alternative governance brought up in the comment chain has not demonstrated an alternative.

          • ChronosTriggerWarning@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Well, I’m sorta tired of being murdered

            You can take credit as always once we do all the work.

            How many of “you” are there?

            • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              I’d guesstimate about a 100 million in the US today. Maybe 500k are committed. Change happens around 15-30 million committed. It’s been 60 years since we’ve seen it last.

          • ettyblatant@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            trying to remove the best tool I’ve got

            You know what? They told me they were coming for my guns 30 years ago and I ain’t seen a dadgum one of em try…YET

            • SirDerpy@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              No FRT? No bump stock?

              Most didn’t buy these or couldn’t. But, that’s all it takes to get the feds at your door asking questions.

      • SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        5 months ago

        When your justification for being condescending and judgmental relies on a completely unfounded assumption about the person you’re judging, it just looks like you’re trying to find reasons to put others down. It’s not a good look and it’s entirely unfair to the person you’re putting down.

        If anyone here needs to do better, it’s you.

  • bleistift2@sopuli.xyz
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    5 months ago

    You can’t blame that on the cop. How was he to know that the only black person on site wasn’t the criminal?

    /s

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    The ONLY Reason this cop is getting Charged for LITERALLY SHOOTING AN UNARMED WOMAN IN THE FACE is because of the Woke Agenda!

    -Pro Life Republicans!

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      There is a house nearby that has a wood cut sign outside with a picture of a rifle and the words “We dont call the cops.”

      The “shoot on sight” threat is immensely boomer pilled, but after more and more murders like this, I’m reluctantly agreeing from the other direction.

      • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social
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        5 months ago

        There’s a pretty big difference between “I don’t call the cops because they’re murder pigs” and “I want to kill people myself”

        • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Yup. I’m mostly on the latter side, but the irony is the sign almost works for me too.

          • Gumby@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            I home you mean the former side (“I don’t call the cops because they’re murder pigs”), not the latter (“I want to kill people myself”)…

  • Snapz@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Good. This cop will get what they deserve… time served, paid time off, and the inconvenience of having to move two counties to the left to get a job as the local chief of police.