In the early hours of July 6, Sonya Massey called 911 looking for help with a suspected intruder. But within minutes of the officers entering her Springfield, Illinois, home, the 36-year-old mother was dead — fatally shot by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. The police killing, which sparked protests in Massey’s name and drew the attention of President Joe Biden, was caught on tape, detailed in a 36-minute body-cam video released on Monday. The sheriff’s office has fired Grayson, and a review of the Illinois State Police investigation conducted by a use-of-force expert found the deputy was not “justified in his use of deadly force,” per the state’s attorney in a news release. As of last week, Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder.

The events began unfolding when Massey reported a possible prowler. In the body-cam footage, Massey, wearing a long white robe, answers the door for the two deputies who arrived at the scene at 12:50 a.m. After scoping out her yard, the deputies join Massey inside. The officers ask her a few questions — “You’re not in trouble,” Grayson at one point tells........

© Daily Intelligencer