Family alleges cover-up in shooting by Illinois deputy that killed Sonya Massey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of Sonya Massey demanded justice Tuesday and claimed authorities had tried to cover up Massey's fatal shooting by a sheriff's deputy.
Then-Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson is now charged with Massey's murder.
The family said if it weren't for the bodycam video of the shooting that was released Monday, no one would know the truth.
The deadly police shooting happened early on the morning of Saturday, July 6. The bodycam video shows Grayson and his partner arriving after Sonya Massey called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her home.
On the body cam video, the deputies are first seen searching outside the house and talking to Massey at the front door. They are later seen inside her home, and Deputy Grayson instructs Massey to check on a pot overheating on the stove, saying they don't need a fire in the house.
Massey went to turn off the flame and picked up the pot. She asked where the deputies were going, to which Grayson replied, "Away from your hot, steaming water."
Massey replied, "Away from my hot, steaming water?" and then twice said, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
"You'd better f***ing not. I swear to God, I'll f***ing shoot you right in your f***ing face," Grayson said. He then raised his gun and yelled at Massey to "drop the f***ing pot!"
Massey is seen apologizing and ducking for cover. Grayson opens fire—three shots are heard.
Massey's family spoke out at a news conference Tuesday with their attorney, Ben Crump, after meeting with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in the morning. At the meeting, they called for legislation to improve policing.
Massey's 17-year-old son and mother sat down with CBS News Tuesday afternoon.
"A good mother. She was very smart and always helped everybody but herself. Just a ball of love, honestly, to me. She cooked me the best food. I love her food, honestly," said Malachi Hill-Massey, Sonya Massey's son. "She's just the most loving person ever. I don't know. That's the person that made me just feel so loved."
Massey's son and mother said police weren't transparent about what happened.
"They said it's under investigation, then they said that they told the doctors at the hospital that she committed suicide—and then they changed it," said Sonya Massey's mother, Donna Massey. "They kept changing the story."
Malachi Hill-Massey concurred that the family received conflicting information.
"Yeah, because they told her that, but they called—the hospital just told me that someone shot her, so they're just telling everyone different stories," he said. "We're going to get justice for sure. I know. We are for sure."
Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh School of Law Professor and use-of-force expert David Harris said the officers' first mistake was entering Massey's home.
"This never had to happen," he said. "The whole encounter could have ended on the front porch."
Harris also said Massey was not a threat to the deputies when Grayson pulled his gun and went on to shoot her.
"She simply says while she's holding this pot of water, 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,'" Harris said. "This is not a threat. This is not a sign of danger. But this causes one of the deputies to pull his weapon."
Harris reiterated that there was no identifiable reason for Grayson to shoot Massey.
"We know who did the shooting. We can't see a reason for the shooting. We can't see any way in which the victim provoked the shooting, and that is all there—because there was a camera on one of the officers that was turned on," Harris said. "Even if you can make the case somehow that a pot of hot water off a stove could be used to threaten somebody or used as a weapon, it doesn't happen here."
University of Chicago Law School Professor from Practice Sharon Fairley—who formerly headed the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates shootings by Chicago Police—likewise noted how the escalation happened quickly.
"I did not see anything in that video that to me made it appear that she was presenting that kind of threat to the officer," said Fairley. "It seems that they just immediately escalated to deadly force."
Fairley reviewed the body cam footage, and also said there was nothing in the video that would have warranted deadly force.
"Would a reasonable officer in those circumstances interpret that particular phrase of words as threatening?" Fairley said of Massey's, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, remark. "I don't think so."
Grayson has worked for six different law enforcement agencies since 2020. CBS News has learned Grayson, a former private first class in the Army, also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in 2015 and 2016.
"Why was he even hired by the sheriff's department?" Crump said.
In Illinois, a DUI conviction does not automatically disqualify someone from becoming a law enforcement officer.
Grayson's attorney has declined comment.
Massey's father, James Wilburn, also called for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. The sheriff told CBS News he has no plans to resign.