Sonya Massey, the Black woman who was fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy earlier this month, was killed by a bullet that hit beneath her left eye, an autopsy released on Friday confirmed.
Massey, 36, was holding a pot of waterinside her Springfield, Illinois, home when Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean P. Grayson shot her, while responding to her call about a possible intruder. Grayson is charged with Massey's murder and pleaded not guilty.
Grayson, 30, who was fired by the department, worked for five different departments before coming aboard with Sangamon County in May 2023. Ben Crump, a lawyer representing Massey's family, said he believed Grayson had two prior, unsubstantiated allegations of excessive force made against him.
The chaotic and sometimes gruesome body camera video released to the public earlier this week has caused nationaloutrage.
Family members said on Friday that Massey had an encounter with police in her home the day before she was shot.
Here's a timeline of the events in the fatal shooting.
Around 12:50 a.m., July 6: Two Sangamon County Sheriff's deputies, including defendant Sean P. Grayson, were called to a home in an unincorporated area near Springfield, Illinois, for a possible intruder. According to court documents, they made contact with the 911 caller, Sonya Massey, who appeared to be "calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive."
While another deputy was clearing the house, Grayson began "aggressively yelling" at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water she removed from her stove, although he had given her permission to do so.
More:Crump: Body camera footage in Sonya Massey shooting will 'shock the conscience of America'
Despite being in another room, Grayson drew his weapon and threatened to shoot Massey in the face. According to documents, Massey put her hands in the air, said "I'm sorry" and ducked for cover.
Grayson fired three shots, striking Massey once in the face.
1:21 a.m., July 6: According to a Sangamon County news release, deputies reported the shots were fired at this time.
1:42 a.m., July 6: According to Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, the case is referred to the Illinois State Police for an independent investigation.
1:47 a.m., July 6: Massey is taken to HSHS St. John's Hospital emergency room where she is pronounced dead, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.
9:20 a.m., July 6: Sangamon County issues its first news release about the case. By this time, the case had been referred to the Illinois State Police by Sheriff Jack Campbell.
July 8: Allmon said Massey died of a single gunshot wound, according to autopsy findings.
July 11: Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump announced he has been retained by the family of Massey.
July 12: A two-hour protest at Sangamon County Building demanding the release of body cam footage and transparency in the case is staged. More protests recur on July 15-16.
July 17: Massey family members review the body cam footage of the sheriff's deputies. A Sangamon County grand jury indicted Grayson on five counts, including three counts of first-degree murder. He is arrested and surrenders to police. Campbell said Grayson was terminated as a deputy. It was announced that body cam footage would be released July 22. A protest rally draws about 200 supporters to the Springfield NAACP Building.
July 18: Grayson makes a first appearance in Sangamon County court before Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin. Grayson pleads not guilty to all five counts. Cadagin denied Grayson's petition to be released according to the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.
July 19: Massey's funeral is held at Ruby Funeral Services & Chapel. Eulogizing Massey, Crump said the body cam footage would "shock the conscience of America," similar to images of Emmett Till, a teenager whose lynching in 1955 galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.
2 p.m., July 22: Sangamon County releases sheriff's deputies' body cam footage.
3 p.m., July 22: Protesters march in Massey's memory from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to Comer Cox Park on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Morning, July 23: Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton meet with members of the Massey family at Union Baptist Church in Springfield
Morning, July 23: At press conference at Springfield NAACP Building, Ben Crump says the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the Sonya Massey case.
July 24: A GoFundMe page is set up for the Massey family.
July 26:Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon releases the autopsy report. The bullet entered beneath Massey's left eye and exit through the posterior left surface of her upper neck.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
