Sean Grayson, a white deputy who was dismissed from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office and charged with three counts of first-degree murder last week, fired three shots at the woman, Sonya Massey, according to the indictment. He also faces a charge of aggravated battery and one of official misconduct, according to Reuters.
"Sonya’s death at the hands of a police officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not," President Joe Biden said in a statement on Monday.
"I commend the actions taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office. While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving," he said, calling on lawmakers to pass a stalled police reform bill named after George Floyd, who was choked to death by a white officer in 2020.
Grayson, 30, and the second officer were called to Massey's home in Springfield, about 200 miles (322 km) outside of Chicago, to investigate a report of a suspected "prowler" on July 6 at 12:50 a.m., according to the indictment.
"It is shocking. I mean, every part of the video," Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who is representing Massey's family, said at a briefing.
Crump said Massey may have appeared to have mental health issues, but the officer was not justified in using deadly force. The video shows she was neither aggressive nor threatening to the officers, he said.
"Just imagine if there wasn't a video, what the narrative would have been," Crump said.
Grayson's attorney, Daniel Fultz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The defendant was jailed until his next court date on Aug. 26.
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