Illinois deputy charged in fatal shooting of woman who reported intruder
Sonya Massey was shot in her home after calling police, authorities said.
An Illinois Sheriff's deputy was indicted on multiple charges in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Springfield woman who called authorities to report a possible intruder.
The deputy, Sean Grayson, is facing three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, according to a statement from Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser.
Grayson entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment on Thursday and was denied pretrial release.
The deputy was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff's department this week, according to a statement from Sheriff Jack Campbell, posted to the department's Facebook page on Wednesday.
"It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards," Campbell's statement says. "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."
Two sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6 to investigate a possible prowler, according to a statement from the sheriff's office obtained by ABC News.
"At approximately 1:21 a.m., the Deputies reported that shots had been fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire," according to the sheriff's statement. "Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John's Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident."
The shooting was investigated for use of deadly force by the Illinois State Police (ISP) at the request of the Sangamon County Sheriff's office. According to Milhiser, a review of the investigation and the body-worn camera footage found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
According to charging documents filed in Sangamon County Court, Grayson allegedly shot Massey in the face after the deputy "aggressively yelled" at her to put down a pot of boiling water. Grayson then allegedly discouraged his partner from retrieving a medical kit to render aid to Massey, according to prosecutors.
The other deputy proceeded to render aid anyway and stayed with Massey until paramedics arrived, the charging documents say. Grayson did not attempt to render aid, according to the documents.
Grayson only activated his body-worn camera after the shooting, according to the charges. The other deputy had activated his camera upon arriving at the scene, the charging documents say.
The Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office has not yet released the body camera footage of the incident, but is expected to do so by Monday, July 22.
Massey's family's attorney, Ben Crump, called the news of Grayson's indictment a step forward in gaining justice for Sonya's loved ones.
"While nothing can undo the heinous actions of this officer, we hope the scales of justice will continue to hold him accountable and we will demand transparency at every step," Crump said in a statement.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement saying that Massey deserved the protection that she called law enforcement to provide.
"My heart breaks for Sonya's children, for her family and friends and for all who knew and loved her, and I am enraged that another innocent black woman had her life taken from her at the hands of a police officer," Pritzker's statement says.
An attorney for Grayson did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
ABC News' Emily Chang and Tesfaye Negussie contributed to this report.