Instead of Protecting Sonya Massey, a White Cop Shot Her in the Face. Illinois Deputy Charged with Murder for Killing Black Woman who Called Police to Her Home to Investigate a Suspected Intruder

From [HERE] An Illinois sheriff's deputy has been fired, arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old Black mother that occurred after she called officers to her home for help, officials announced on Wednesday.

Sean Grayson, who is white, is set to be arraigned in Illinois' Seventh Judicial Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon, one day after a grand jury indicted him on five criminal counts for the July 6 death of Sonya Massey, according to the Sangamon County States Attorney's Office. He faces three counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery and one count of official misconduct. Grayson was denied bail during Thursday’s arraignment.

Massey was unarmed and shot in the face after she called police regarding a suspected intruder in her Springfield home, said Ben Crump, the prominent U.S. civil rights lawyer representing the family.

Massey lived in the 2800 block of S. Hoover Ave. in unincorporated Springfield. She had called 9-1-1 to report suspicious activity near her home. Two officers were called to Massey's home for a suspected prowler at 12:50 a.m. July 6. About 30 minutes later, Massey was shot and later pronounced dead at St. John's Hospital, according to the sheriff's office. The deputies were not injured in the incident.

Court documents filed by prosecutors say Massey was allowed to remove a boiling pot from her stove. But then the deputy, in an adjacent room, threatened to shoot her – demanding she put the pot down. The account says he then shot at her three times, wounding her in the face.

Grayson, the documents said, had failed to turn his body camera on until after the shots were fired,. But the incident was captured on the other deputies’ camera.

"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.

Reuters could not immediately identify an attorney for Grayson.

The family has viewed body-camera footage, which officials plan to release on Monday with minimal redactions, according to State's Attorney John Milhiser.

The shooting was investigated by the Illinois State Police. Grayson was fired after it was found his actions did not follow proper training and standards, Sangamon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Wednesday announcing the charges.

The killing comes roughly two months after a Florida deputy shot and killed Fortson, a 23-year-old Black airman with the U.S. Air Force, at Fortson's home in Fort Walton Beach. Eddie Duran, the deputy, was later fired amid an investigation into the shooting, though charges have not been filed.