Illinois
Sonya Massey, shot by Illinois sheriff’s deputy, died of gunshot wound to the head, autopsy finds
CHICAGO (CBS) — Authorities in central Illinois on Friday released an autopsy report that confirmed 36-year-old Sonya Massey died of a gunshot wound to the head, after she was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in Springfield earlier this month.
According to the autopsy report from the Sangamon County Coroner’s office, Massey was shot just beneath her left eye, and the bullet exited the back of her upper neck. The bullet caused a skull fracture, perforated her carotid artery, and caused bleeding in her brain.
Massey also suffered minor blunt force injuries to her right leg.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and is being held in the Sangamon County Jail while he awaits trial. He was fired by the sheriff’s office after the shooting.
After learning of the autopsy results on Friday, Massey’s family said they are still struggling mentally and emotionally nearly three weeks after her death.
“I haven’t been able to sleep for real. The only time I really feel comfortable sleeping is when I’m just on the floor. I can’t even sleep in my bed,” said her son, Malachi Hill-Massey. “I really don’t have words. Like I’ve been said, I don’t have words for real.”
Massey’s uncle, Raymond, said her daughter has been “having nightmares to the point where we have to check the room.”
“It just makes me so angry to see my family hurt as they do,” Raymond said.
Bodycam video shows sheriff’s deputy shooting Massey inside her home
Authorities said Massey, a Black mother of two, called 911 in the early morning hours on Saturday, July 6, to report a suspected prowler outside her house near Springfield, Illinois.
The bodycam video shows Grayson and his partner, who are both White, arriving at Massey’s home, and searching outside the house and talking to Massey at the front door. They are later seen inside her home, and Deputy Grayson instructs Massey to check on a pot overheating on the stove, saying they don’t need a fire in the house.
Massey went to turn off the flame and picked up the pot. She asked where the deputies were going, to which Grayson replied, “Away from your hot, steaming water.”
Massey replied, “Away from my hot, steaming water?” and then twice said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You’d better f***ing not. I swear to God, I’ll f***ing shoot you right in your f***ing face,” Grayson said. He then raised his gun and yelled at Massey to “drop the f***ing pot!”
Massey is seen apologizing and ducking for cover. Grayson opens fire—three shots are heard.
Massey’s family and friends claim authorities tried to cover up the fatal shooting
The family said if it weren’t for the bodycam video of the shooting that was released on Monday, no one would know the truth.
Massey’s friends and family have said police first suggested it was a neighbor who had a previous dispute with Massey who shot her, and then later suggested the shooting was self-inflicted.
Massey’s oldest son, Malachi, said no one from law enforcement ever told the family who actually shot Massey. He said he didn’t learn until he saw it on the news the next day.
Our team coverage of last nights severe storms continues. We’re speaking with a hail expert.
Victor Gensini, professor and meteorology program advisor at NIU, joins the show.
One storm near Kankakee, Illinois, produced a large, destructive tornado Tuesday. It also produced what will likely go down as a record hailstone for the state.
It looked like something out of a weather textbook. Let’s show you the moments we knew destruction was happening.
The hail
We’ll start with the hail.
I was getting ready for bed around 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday (since I’m up before 2 a.m.), and I checked my radar app.
The image below is what I saw.
A textbook supercell (rotating thunderstorm) was moving south of Chicago, but there was a unique feature that caught my attention.
I’ve highlighted that in the image. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s a huge teller of large hail. It’s called a TBSS, or three body scatter spike.
As the radar beam hits hailstones, it gets scattered three different times. That results in the appendage you see on radar extending off the storm.
Moments later, reports came in of hail that was baseball-sized and larger. One such report could break the state’s record for largest hailstone.
The report suggested a hailstone of 6 inches in diameter.
According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, this would break Illinois’ previous record for largest hailstone – and by a long shot.
The largest hailstone on record in the U.S. happened in South Dakota, and it was measured at 8 inches in diameter.
Insane!
The tornado
While it takes time to assess the damage and come up with a rating, there was zero doubt that a tornado spawned from this storm too.
It’s common during tornadoes for there to be hail on the northern flank of the storm. It’s called the “hail core,” and it is a result of rapidly rising air.
In terms of the actual tornado, it became evident that one was active when looking at radar.
A hook echo is commonly seen in supercell thunderstorms. It’s an indication of warm air flowing into the storm, while cold air flows down its rear flank. This is your rotational aspect of the storm that extends down to the surface.
The air spins rapidly and – eventually – it picks up debris. This can show up as a ball on the southern tip of the storm.
Every bit of this storm was something out of a meteorology textbook – a marvel for those who admire the atmosphere, but a nightmare for those at ground level enduring its fury.
Tornadoes rip through Michigan just hours after deadly tornado in Oklahoma
Destructive tornadoes wreaked havoc hundreds of miles apart from March 5-6, as severe storms roared through the middle of the U.S.
Central Illinois is expected to be hit with tornado alerts Tuesday afternoon and evening, with the highest risk between 6 and 10 p.m.
The National Weather Service announced on X that a Tornado Watch is 95% likely in east-central Illinois through 4:30 p.m. The potential storm is forecast to reach a peak intensity of 2-3.5 inch hail, 55-70 mph winds and 120-150 mph tornadoes.
Here’s how to stay updated on weather alerts in your area.
How to sign up for weather alerts in Illinois
Most residents throughout Illinois will automatically receive Wireless Emergency Alerts on their mobile phones from the NWS, warning them of potentially dangerous weather in their area. These will look like normal text messages and will typically show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take and the agency issuing the alert.
Other sources of information include NOAA Weather Radio, the Storm Prediction Center’s live map of nationwide tornado watches and the Emergency Alert System on radio and TV broadcasts.
Residents can also sign up for text alerts through their local county emergency management agency, such as NotifyChicago.
Sign up for USA TODAY Network weather alerts
Illinois residents can sign up for alerts from the USA TODAY Network to receive texts about current storms and weather events in their area.
Tornado watch vs warning
The NWS explains the difference between the varying tornado alert terminology on its website.
A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in the area, while a tornado warning means a twister has been sighted or indicated by the weather radar. A tornado emergency is the most severe alert, meaning a violent tornado has touched down in the area.
The website uses the phrases “be prepared,” “take action” and “seek shelter immediately” to summarize the three alerts.
Central Illinois weather radar
Chicago weather radar
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