Illinois police officer has been charged with murder after the shooting death of a black woman who had called 911 to report a suspected intruder at her home.
There was outrage as the police released bodycam footage that shows the chaotic moments that led to the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, 36, over Independence Day weekend on July 6 and has drawn condemnation from President Joe Biden.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson has been fired from the police force and charged with murder and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. As of Monday, he was being held without bond.
On Monday, Illinois State Police released bodycam footage that shows the officers shouting at Ms. Massey to put down a pot of boiling water as they point their pistols at her.
The incident in the early hours of 6 July began when Ms. Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320km) south of Chicago, to report that she believed someone had broken into her property.
Deputies followed her inside when Ms. Massey entered her home and watched as she searched for her identification.
In the video, Mr. Grayson sees a pot sitting on a stove, gestures towards it and says, “we don’t need a fire while we’re here”.
Ms. Massey walks to the stove to remove the pot. She and Mr Grayson appear to laugh over her pot of “steaming hot water”, before she twice says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” Mr Grayson says. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.
“OK, I’m sorry,” Ms. Massey is heard saying before she ducks.
After shooting her, the officer says: “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”
The video also records Mr. Grayson telling his police partner that she would not need medical help.
As the other deputy tries to get a medical kit, the officer says: “She’s done. You can go get it but that’s a head shot.”
Mr. Grayson then leaves to get his own medical kit, after the other officer says that they can at least try to stop Ms. Massey’s bleeding.
On Monday, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said Mr Grayson was not justified in his use of force on Ms Massey.
In a statement, President Biden said he was “heartbroken” for her family.
“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today,” he said.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the footage of the shooting “horrific” in a statement on Monday.
“As the community reacts to the release of the footage, I urge calm as this matter works its way through the criminal justice system,” Mr. Raoul said.
Lawyers for Ms. Massey’s family have commended prosecutors for their swift action against Mr. Grayson.
Lawyer Benjamin Crump said the footage “is going to shock the conscience of America”.
“It is that senseless, that unnecessary, that unjustifiable, that unconstitutional,” he said.
