Sonya Massey autopsy reveals she was killed by gunshot to head

The autopsy of Sonya Massey, a black woman who was shot by a white former sheriff’s deputy, was released on Friday and revealed that her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

Massey was allegedly shot by former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson on July 6, in Springfield, Illinois. Massey had called 911 about a suspected prowler, and Grayson and another deputy responded to the call, according to the Associated Press. Grayson fired his weapon after he felt threatened by a pan of hot water Massey was moving from her stove.

The autopsy confirmed that the shooting was a homicide, and revealed Massey also suffered “minor blunt force injuries” to her right leg. An enlarged diagram of the autopsy also showed the bullet left her lower neck in a downward trajectory.

“When Sonya Massey was staring at the barrel of his gun, she stooped down, said, ‘Sorry, sir, Sorry,’ and the bullet was shot while she was in this stooped position, coming up,” Massey's family's civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a news briefing. “The autopsy confirms what everybody already knows, that this was just a senseless, unnecessary, excessive use of force.”

Video footage of the encounter from police body cameras confirmed that Grayson fired three shots at Massey, including the killing shot to the head. 

Grayson has since been fired from the sheriff's department, and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and other official misconduct charges. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in jail without bond.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Massey's family on Friday, and gave them her "heartfelt condolences," NBC News reported.

“It’s made me feel a lot better today,” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, told the outlet.

Massey is also survived by a 17-year-old son, and 15-year-old daughter. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.