Deputy who shot Sonya Massey thought her rebuke ‘in the name of Jesus’ indicated intent to kill him

Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The deputy sheriff who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her Illinois home last month says he thought that when she unexpectedly said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she intended to kill him. That’s what Sean Grayson wrote in his field report on July 9, three days after he shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 for help. Grayson had directed a pan of water be removed from a burner on the stove. She set it down and said the surprising phrase. Grayson said he fired because she ducked behind a counter where he worried she had a weapon. The 30-year-old Grayson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct.