*Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy charged with the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, claims that he thought she was going to “kill” him when she stated, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
We reported earlier that body camera footage released last month by the prosecutor’s office shows Grayson, 30, threatening to shoot Massey for moving a pot of boiling water from the stove. She can be heard saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” twice as she holds the pot.
In the video, Grayson is heard threatening Sonya with, “I’ll f**king shoot you right in your f**king face,” after she approaches the pot of water.
Massey, 36, complied when the officer gave her “loud, clear verbal commands” to unhand the pot. She then ducked and said, “I’m sorry.” Grayson fired his gun three times at the woman, killing her inside her own home.
He was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder, along with charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. According to reports, Grayson is currently held without bond in Sangamon County Jail.
According to Grayson’s field report from July 9, he noted that he thought “she was going to kill me.”
Grayson reportedly believed that when Massey said she rebuked him in the name of Jesus, she was attempting to kill him.
“As I approached the cabinet, Sonya stood up from a crouched position, grabbing the pot, raising it above her head, and throwing the boiling substance to me,” Grayson’s report states. “I was in imminent fear of getting boiling liquid to my face or chest, which would have caused great bodily harm or death. I fired my duty weapon in Sonya’s direction. I observed Sonya fall to the ground behind the counter.”
Grayson was fired from the sheriff’s office following the deadly July 6 incident. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on July 18 at the Sangamon County Court.
Many community members and leaders, including Massey’s father, have called for Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign over the Grayson’s actions, but Campbell refuses, according to USA Today.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Deputy Charged with Killing Sonya Massey Previously Discharged from Army for Serious Misconduct
