Donna Massey, the mother of Sonya Massey, rang 911 days before her daughter's fatal shooting by an Illinois sheriff's deputy, begging dispatchers not to send officers who might be prejudiced. In a recording released on Wednesday, she tells the call handler her daughter is suffering a "mental breakdown" and asks: "Please don't send no combative policemen that are prejudiced." Donna Massey adds she fears the police and does not want them to hurt Sonya.
The Sangamon County Sheriff's Department has also released two other emergency calls from Sonya Massey's home in Springfield in the lead-up to her death. On one, an unidentified woman says people want to hurt her; another features Sonya Massey herself reporting that a neighbour struck her with a brick. The department is investigating whether deputies responding to a prowler call on 6 July were made aware of her mental health history.
Sean Grayson, 30, a white former deputy, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the shooting of 36-year-old Sonya Massey. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond. Bodycam footage shows Massey greeting officers with "Don't hurt me" and appearing confused. After Grayson ordered her to remove a pot from the stove, she said "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," at which he drew his weapon and fired three times, striking her below the left eye.
Sheriff Jack Campbell released Grayson's personnel file on Wednesday, which confirms his two drink-driving convictions within a year and his rapid job changes. Campbell said the DUIs did not disqualify him, and that his ambition to move to larger departments was admirable. A psychological evaluation from March 2023 found Grayson fit to serve but noted he needed to "slow down to make good decisions."
The file also includes an internal investigation that found Grayson violated use-of-force rules, failed to activate his body camera, and refused to provide medical aid. The chief deputy wrote that Grayson "immediately escalated to deadly force" based on a verbal comment and that Massey made no aggressive movements. He also failed to attempt non-violent strategies.
Sonya Massey's son said she had checked herself into a 30-day inpatient treatment programme days before her death but returned early. In a third call from her address, his grandmother reported Sonya's mental breakdown, saying: "I don't want you guys to hurt her."
