White Jury is Told that Sonya Massey Could have been Saved after a White Columbus Cop Shot Her in the Face

The second day of testimony has ended in the trial of ex-sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who faces murder charges for fatally shooting a Black woman in her Illinois home after she called 911 for help.

Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old single mother of two teenagers, called emergency responders on July 6, 2024, over a suspected prowler on her property in Springfield. Grayson, a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy at the time, responded to the scene with his partner, Dawson Farley. Body camera footage shows Grayson firing at Massey after telling her to drop a pot of hot water.

The jury is made up of 11 white people and 1 black person.

Dr. Nathaniel Patterson, a forensic pathologist with the Sangamon County Coroner's office, testified Thursday that Massey could have survived the gunshot wound if medical aid had been given soon afterward and the bleeding had been controlled, according to WICS.

Expert witness Louis Dekmar, a retired police chief from LaGrange, Georgia, also told the court that he reviewed body camera footage of the shooting. Dekmar testified he did not see any threatening behavior from Massey before Grayson pointed his gun at her, according to WICS.

Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. [MORE]