SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An autopsy report released Friday in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, the Illinois woman shot by a deputy after she called for help, confirms she died of a bullet to the head.
The autopsy released by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon indicates the bullet hit Massey beneath her left eye and exited on the posterior left side of her upper neck. The shot also resulted in a perforation to her left internal carotid artery, a skull fracture and hemorrhages.
Massey, 36, was killed in the early morning hours of July 6 after she’d called 911 to report a suspected prowler. In a sudden escalation captured on the law enforcement officers’ body cameras, Deputy Sean Grayson shot Massey three times, with one fatal blow to the head, as she worked with a boiling pot of water.
“This was just a senseless, unnecessary, excessive use of force,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at a Friday news conference following the release of the report. “I mean, how can you justify this?”
Grayson, 30, has been terminated from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. An Illinois grand jury indicted him last week. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. State records show he worked for six different law enforcement agencies since August 2020.
In a statement, a Department of Justice spokesman said the agency was “aware of and assessing the circumstances” surrounding Massey’s death and would “continue to track the criminal case opened by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney.”
A GoFundMe account established Thursday that originally sought $100,000 to help the family with counseling, travel, legal and household expenses had reached its goal by midday Friday. The goal on the account was increased to $200,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
