Illinois police have released bodycam footage that shows the chaotic moments that led to the fatal shooting of a woman who had called 911 to report a suspected intruder at her home.

The killing of Sonya Massey, 36, over Independence Day weekend has led to criminal charges against one of the officers who responded to her home, 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.

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.”

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.”

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.

The Illinois Fighting Illini football program is welcoming two new faces to their coaching staff.

The team announced they are bringing on Myers Hendrickson as a senior analyst.

“I’m extremely excited to join Coach Bielema’s staff and Illinois football,” Hendrickson said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to work with such an outstanding staff and group of student-athletes. It’s an exciting time for Illini football, and I know more big things are ahead for this program under Coach Bielema’s leadership. My wife, Hannah, our daughter, Charlotte, and I are excited to be in Champaign and join the famILLy.”

Myers is joining the Illini family following a tenure as the head coach of Western Illinois. Coach Bret Bielema congratulated Hendrickson on the position, writing, “I have watched Myers entire coaching career continue to grow over the years,” Bielema said. “He has had an incredible amount of success and experiences in a very short window of time. He will work with our defensive staff to forecast future opponents as well as game week prep.”

The Illini also announced the hiring of Dana Dimel, who will work as a senior offensive assistant.

“My family and I are very much looking forward to joining Coach Bielema,” Dimel said. “He is an outstanding football coach and leader and I have always admired how his teams play the game. We can’t wait to start working with the talented staff to help the program and players reach high levels of success.”

The Illinois program is hoping to make serious progress this upcoming year after a 5-7 record last year.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Illini Now. He can be reached at  or follow him on X .

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