Murder of Sonya Massey

Sonya Massey Sonya Lynaye Wilburn-Massey was born on February 12, 1988, and was 36 years old at the time of her death. She had a son and a daughter. Sometime prior to her death, she voluntarily checked into a 30-day inpatient treatment program in St. Louis, returning two days later. On July 4, 2024, a caller from Massey's home address called 911. "Somebody's trying to hurt me," the caller said. When the dispatcher asked who was trying to hurt her, the caller said, "A lot of them." The caller then said, "Never mind. This must not be the right number," and disconnected. It is unknown if Massey was the person who made this call. Massey's mother, Donna Massey, had called 911 on July 5, the day before the shooting, and told the operator her daughter was experiencing mental health issues. She reported her daughter being "sporadic" and having a "mental breakdown," but stated, "she's not a danger to herself, she’s not a danger to me." Massey's mother also added, "When she gets upset, then she thinks everybody's after her, like paranoid schizophrenic." Massey's mother than said, "[Don't send] any combative policemen who are prejudiced, please," and "I'm scared of the police." Once officers arrived, Sonya Massey was in the front yard, saying, "They won't give it to me." Inside her home, Donna Massey told the responding deputy of her daughter's recent release from a mental facility. While enlisted in the United States Army as a wheeled vehicle mechanic (private first class) at Fort Riley from May 2014 to February 2016, Grayson had a misdemeanor DUI conviction in August 2015. Grayson was discharged from the Army for "misconduct (serious offense)." It is unknown what this misconduct was. He received a general discharge. Grayson had another DUI conviction in July 2016. Grayson, then a police officer in Kincaid, Illinois, falsely arrested a White man named Kyle Adkins in 2021. Grayson claimed that there was a warrant and evidence against Adkins, which were later proven to be non-existent. In 2022, Grayson, then a deputy for the Logan County Sheriff's Office, was involved in a high-speed chase where he ignored orders from his superiors to terminate the pursuit. He reached speeds of 110 mph, turned off his lights and siren, and only stopped after hitting a deer. This resulted in a meeting between Grayson and his superiors about his misconduct and the possibility of firing Grayson. However, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office absolved him and never reported the misconduct. According to his lawyer in July 2024, Grayson had stage 3 colon cancer, which was diagnosed in the fall of 2023. Dawson Farley Dawson Farley, a sheriff's deputy for the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, was Sean Grayson's partner at the scene. == Shooting ==

Early on the morning of July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey called 911 as she believed that someone had broken into her home. Both deputies subsequently searched Massey's backyard and the immediate vicinity of her property, finding no evidence of any suspicious activity or persons. The deputies approached Massey's front door and Grayson knocked multiple times. After approximately three minutes from when Grayson first knocked, Massey opened the door and engaged in conversation with the deputies. The deputies informed Massey that they had not found anyone in their search while Massey used her cell phone. As the deputies prepared to end the exchange, Grayson suddenly asked Massey if a black SUV in her driveway belonged to her. Massey replied that the vehicle was not hers. Farley then walked around the side of Massey's house to report the license plate number of the vehicle in her driveway. Massey and Grayson continued to engage in conversation. After Farley walked back to Massey's front door, the three entered Massey's residence. After Massey picked up the pot of water and walked from her stove to her sink, Farley and Grayson moved backwards. Massey asked the deputies, "Where are you going?" Grayson replied, "Away from your hot steaming water," chuckling. "Huh?" Grayson asked, before Massey repeated, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus." Grayson replied, "You better fucking not. I swear to God I'll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face," then drew his gun. Farley also drew his gun. Massey immediately apologized by saying "OK, I'm sorry," then ducked behind the kitchen counter. However, both deputies advanced from the living room towards the kitchen with their weapons trained on Massey. After several seconds of shouting orders for Massey to drop the pot of water, Grayson fired three shots at her, fatally wounding her with one shot in the face. Several news publications have reported that Massey was unarmed at the time of the shooting. Grayson activated his body camera after shooting Massey. Farley had his body camera on when he first arrived. Farley began to leave to grab his medical kit. However, Grayson discouraged him for doing so, stating, "She's done. You can go get it, but that's a headshot." Grayson later went to get his medical kit while Farley held dish towels to her head wound. "I'm not even gonna waste my med stuff then," Grayson replied before throwing the medical kit on the floor. Body camera footage of the shooting was released to the public on July 22, 2024. == Aftermath ==

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation of the incident, which was turned over to the Illinois State Police. The investigation was completed within 10 days. A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson not justified in his use of deadly force. He was later fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office on July 17, the same day charges were filed against him. Farley was placed on administrative leave. Massey's family retained Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who has represented several other victims of high-profile instances of police brutality, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Additionally, her family said that police had initially blamed Massey's death on both suicide and a neighbor. County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced he would retire on August 31, 2024, due to the shooting. He was replaced in his role by former patrol officer and detective Paula Crouch the following month. In February 2025, Massey's family reached a settlement with Sangamon County for a payment of $10 million. Massey's family also created a GoFundMe, which raised $529,000 of the $600,000 goal. In May 2025, the Illinois House passed House Bill 1953, or "Sonya Massey's Bill", requiring more thorough background checks before police officers are hired. Autopsy The autopsy report on Massey was released on July 26, 2024. DOJ investigation On July 23, 2024, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that it was "assessing the circumstances" of Massey's death. Ben Crump announced the DOJ was investigating that same day. However, the civil rights investigation officially began in November 2024. The DOJ would investigate the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, Sangamon County Central Dispatch, and the county itself. Sangamon County did not admit any liability by entering into the agreement with the DOJ. The DOJ found no instances of discrimination, but required the sheriff's office and central dispatch to make biannual reports of any complaints they receive. The sheriff's office and central dispatch would also introduce additional training, such as de-escalation techniques with behavioral health disabilities. The agreement would also require the creation of a mobile crisis team that includes trained behavioral health staff. == Criminal trial ==

On July 17, 2024, a grand jury indicted Grayson on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of official misconduct. He was held in jail without bail. Grayson pled not guilty on July 18. His attorneys had argued for his pretrial release, appealing to the Supreme Court of Illinois, which denied the petition for release on bond. Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser's review did "not support a finding that… Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force." Prosecutors compared him 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." He was also transferred to Sangamon County Jail from Macon County Jail on July 23, 2025. On October 20, 12 jurors were selected. The jury was made up of nine White women, two White men, and one Black man. The lesser charges, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, were dropped on October 21. Testimony Farley testified against Grayson on October 22, stating, "She never did anything that made me think she was a threat," and that it was Grayson's actions that raised his "sense of awareness." He claimed that he took "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" as a threat and believed Massey was going to throw the pot of water at him. Grayson was equipped with a Taser, but claimed that he did not use it because he thought Massey's clothing would make it ineffective. On October 29, Grayson was found guilty of second-degree murder. Massey's mother, Donna Massey, her father, James Wilburn, and her two children all made statements at the sentencing. Massey's daughter, Summer, told the court, "Since her death, I have not been the same person." Massey's son, Malachi, told the judge, "My soul is ripped. It's like a part of me is really dead." Donna told the court, "I cried every day. I lost my short-term memory. Today, I'm afraid to call the police for fear that I may end up like Sonya," and "She was one of the smartest, sweetest people I ever knew." In addition, Grayson was given two years of supervised release. With the time he had served in jail and the possibility of a sentence reduction for good behavior, he could be released after serving years, around 50 percent of his sentence. == Historical connection ==

According to Massey's family, one of her ancestors, William Donnegan, was lynched in the Springfield race riot of 1908 and pronounced dead in the same hospital as Massey. Massey's relative stated: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." == Reactions ==

U.S. politicians President Joe Biden stated, "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," and that Massey "should be alive today." Vice President Kamala Harris said, "I join President Biden in commending the swift action of the State's Attorney's Office and in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that I coauthored in the Senate." She also stated that Massey "deserved to be safe," and that "she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the murder, stating that he was "enraged that another innocent black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer," and that he was "grateful to the Springfield State's Attorney's office for bringing the appropriate charges in this case." He later called for Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin stated that his "thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Sonya Massey," and that "The Illinois State Police conducted a thorough investigation of Sonya's tragic death, and the Sangamon County State's Attorney brought the necessary charges in a timely way." U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski, said that she was "shocked, horrified, and heartbroken" by the footage and called Massey's murder an "act of senseless and unjustifiable violence." Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher stated, "I want to make it unequivocally clear that this Sangamon County deputy's actions do not reflect the values and integrity of our Springfield Police Department," and "There is no excuse for this violent act. And we demand accountability and justice for Sonya." Others The City of Springfield announced an increased police presence in response to the murder and subsequent protests by Massey's family and supporters. Hartford, New York City, and Atlanta. The NAACP released a statement that blamed politicians for "empowering" Grayson and advocated for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Michael Arceneaux stated that Massey's murder was not surprising: "When don't we hear of a white officer shooting a Black person?" The 19th said it was "a striking example of how police encounters for Black people — even those who call the police for help — quickly erupt into violence." == See also ==