Ill. deputy charged with murder after fatally shooting woman who called 911 to report intruder

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (TCN) -- A Sangamon County Sheriff's Office deputy is being charged with murder after he shot and killed a woman who called 911 in the middle of the night to report a suspected intruder in her home.

According to the sheriff's office, on July 6 at around 12:50 a.m., Sonya Massey called 911 and reported a "prowler" at her residence on the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in Springfield. Two deputies responded and searched the surrounding area for the suspect. About 30 minutes later, at 1:20 a.m., deputies reported shots fired and that a woman had been struck.

The deputies performed CPR on Massey until paramedics arrived. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said Illinois State Police are taking over the investigation.

NPR Illinois reports Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser wrote in a statement that Deputy Sean Grayson shot Massey in her home and that evidence shows he was not "justified in his use of deadly force."

A grand jury returned an indictment against Grayson on Wednesday, July 17, charging him with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.

In a statement Wednesday, Campbell said he terminated Grayson's employment, adding, "It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards."

Body cam footage from the shooting will reportedly be released July 22.

Massey's family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them. NPR Illinois reports Crump demanded police release the footage, saying in a statement, "It is extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls the police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot in the head by the police at her own home."

Sheriff Campbell said, "The actions taken by Deputy Grayson do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office or law enforcement as a whole. Good law enforcement officers stand with our community in condemning actions that undermine the trust and safety we strive to uphold. In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community."

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