A Sangamon County deputy sheriff fired his gun three times at Sonya Massey in her home after the unarmed 36-year-old woman held her hands in the air, told him “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover behind a counter.
That information was part of the successful argument a Sangamon County assistant state’s attorney used July 18 to convince a judge to detain Sean Grayson in jail under provisions of the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act.
Grayson, 30, of Riverton, faces three first-degree murder charges, as well as charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in connection with Massey’s July 6 death. With the potential for additional prison time connected with the alleged use of a gun, Grayson could face a prison sentence of 45 years to life if convicted.
Many people in the audience of the packed courtroom, which included Massey’s mother, Donna, other family members and friends, sobbed during and after the arraignment hearing. Several said, “Yes” and clapped when Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin ruled in favor of First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Rodgers’ request for detention.
In a case that has prompted almost-daily protests led by Black activists and gained national media attention, Cadagin ruled Grayson shouldn’t be released because he would pose a threat to the community.
“This was such a departure from the expectations of a civil society,” Cadagin said of Grayson’s alleged conduct.
The judge noted that Grayson allegedly fired the shots, one of them hitting Massey in the face and fatally wounding her, apparently without provocation.
Cadagin said Grayson also allegedly made unspecified “disparaging remarks” about Massey at the scene and failed to provide first aid to her after she was shot, all the while knowing his actions were being recorded by another deputy with a body-worn camera.
Rogers said Grayson failed to “show anything but callousness to a human life.”
Grayson “definitely had a lot of options,” such as using the non-lethal taser he was wearing, to subdue Massey, Rogers said. “This defendant was not justified in his use of deadly force. … The defendant clearly disregarded his training as a law-enforcement officer.”
Civil rights and personal-injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Massey family, said in a statement after the judge’s ruling to detain Grayson that the decision “marks another crucial step in the pursuit of justice for Sonya Massey’s family.”
Crump said the ruling emphasizes “the gravity of the charges and the severity of the officer’s actions. Sonya’s death has been extremely shocking and devastating for her family and the community.”
Grayson, who was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department on July 17 – the same day a Sangamon County grand jury handed down the felony charges in an indictment – is being held at the Menard County Jail in Petersburg.
Wearing a black and white jail jumpsuit and leg cuffs around his ankles, Grayson looked forward, with the courtroom audience behind him, during the arraignment and detention hearing. He appeared to show no emotion.
Grayson’s attorney, Dan Fultz, did the talking during the hearing, saying Grayson pleaded not guilty. Fultz argued for Grayson’s release pretrial, with electronic monitoring and other restrictions.
Fultz said Grayson doesn’t pose a “real and present threat” to anyone in particular or the community.
Fultz said Grayson lives with his fiancé at the home he has owned in Riverton for four years, and the couple were scheduled to be married in October 2024.
Grayson was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in October 2023, and was hospitalized for a month and a half, according to Fultz. As a result of the treatment, Grayson wears a colostomy bag and hopes to have surgery in the next few months so the bag no longer will be needed, Fultz said.
In the meantime, providing necessary medical care to Grayson would be a “significant burden” for any jail, Fultz said, noting that Grayson had a “medical incident” overnight between July 17 and 18 when the “bag burst.”
Grayson would have been at the Menard County Jail at that time, and Menard Sheriff Mark Oller said neither he nor his staff was made aware of any such incident.
The petition filed by the State’s Attorney’s Office for pretrial detention gave the public the first glimpse of what allegedly happened the night of Massey’s death. The petition included body-worn camera footage that was not made public but which is expected to be released July 22.
Grayson and another deputy, whose identity hasn’t been revealed and who hasn’t been charged, were dispatched at about 12:50 a.m. July 6 to the home Massey rented in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in unincorporated Woodside Township in the “Cabbage Patch” neighborhood, according to the petition.
The deputies were sent there after Massey made a call to 911 indicating concern about a potential prowler. Massey “indicated she needed assistance” and “appeared to be calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive, and was approximately 110 pounds,” the petition said.
The two deputies, including Grayson who, with a muscular build, stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs almost 230 pounds, entered the home to gather more information and ensure the residence was safe.
The petition said Grayson noticed a pot on a stove and approved of Massey removing the pot to prevent an accidental fire.
After the other deputy checked out the home and found nothing dangerous, the petition said Grayson “made a comment about the pot, which apparently contained heated water.” While Grayson was in the living room area, Massey “responded verbally and set the pot of water down on a counter in the kitchen.”
In terse, clipped language, the petition continued: “Despite his distance and relative cover, defendant drew his 9mm firearm, not the less-than-lethal taser located on his duty vest, and threatened to shoot Ms. Massey in the face.”
“Seeing the drawn weapon, Ms. Massey put her hands in the air and stated, ‘I’m sorry,’ while ducking for cover behind the counter that separated her and defendant,” the petition said.
Grayson then drew his gun, “proceeded to close the significant gap between him and Ms. Massey,” according to the petition, which said, “Defendant then aggressively yelled at Ms. Massey to put the pot down.”
It’s unclear why Grayson allegedly told Massey to put the pot down when she had already set the pot of water down on the counter.
“Defendant then fired his duty weapon three times in the direction of Ms. Massey, striking her in the face one time,” the petition said. “Only at this time did defendant activate his body-worn camera.”
The petition noted that the body-worn camera of the other deputy was activated when he arrived at the scene and remained on during the incident.
The unnamed deputy then said he was going to receive a medical kit from his vehicle, but Grayson “instructed him not to because of the severity of the injury,” according to the petition.
“The other deputy still rendered aid and stayed with Ms. Massey until medical help arrived,” the petition said. “Defendant at no time attempted to render aid to Ms. Massey.”
Massey was brought to HSHS St. John’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead in the emergency department at 1:47 a.m. July 6.
As part of the Illinois State Police investigation of the incident, an expert on the “use of force” reviewed video from both deputies’ body-worn cameras and “concluded that defendant was not justified in his use of deadly force,” according to the petition.
The expert “likened the scenario 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,” the petition said.
The petition concluded that Grayson’s “disregard for human life shows by clear and convincing evidence that he is a danger to persons in the community. He has ample access to firearms and has shown a willingness to use lethal force, despite the availability of non-deadly alternatives, when there is little to no threat to his bodily safety.”
Grayson graduated from North Mac High School in Virden in 2013, served three years in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged, according to Fultz.
Grayson worked for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department for 14½ months and before that worked full-time for the Logan County Sheriff’s Department for about a year, ending his employment there on April 28, 2023, according to the website of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
According to the board, Grayson worked full-time for the Auburn Police Department from July 20, 2021, to May 1, 2022; part-time for the Virden Police Department from May 20, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021; part-time for the Kincaid Police Department from Feb. 4, 2021, to May 18, 2021; and part-time for the Pawnee Police Department from Aug. 11, 2020, to July 26, 2021.
Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer at Illinois Times. He can be reached at 217-836-1068, [email protected] or twitter.com/DeanOlsenIT.
