Family member: Police had met with Massey over mental health issue day before shooting

In Springfield again Friday, Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said he was made aware of two unsubstantiated allegations of excessive unnecessary force by the shooter of Sonya Massey, former Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean P. Grayson.

Both allegations, Crump said, predated Grayson's employment in Springfield.

Grayson, 30, who has been charged with Massey's murder and fired by the department, worked for five different departments before coming aboard with Sangamon County in May 2023.

More: Records: Sheriff's office knew about Sean Grayson's DUIs. Were there any other red flags?

Crump said he and his legal team representing the Massey family have also talked to the U.S. Department of Justice about Grayson. An investigation into the case was opened earlier this week.

The DOJ's community relations service will host a community healing and listening session at Union Baptist Church, 1405 E. Monroe St., from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. It is free and open to the public.

Sunday was declared a national day of mourning for Massey, with rallies in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Washington, D.C., among other places. The Rev. Al Sharpton, along with Massey family members, will participate in a rally in Chicago Tuesday evening, Crump confirmed.

Springfield will stage its rally at Comer Cox Park, 301 S. Martin Luther King Dr., at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Crump said Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to set up a phone conversation with the family.

Crump said it may be possible that both persons who made allegations against Grayson could come forward.

"A lot of minorities in America don't come forward for many reasons," Crump said Friday. "They don't call police for many reasons because things normally don't turn out good for us when we call the police.

"Obviously, Sonya Massey is Exhibit 1."

Previous encounter with police

Malachi Hill Massey, Massey's son, said Friday that Massey had an encounter with police over a mental health issue the day before the shooting.

Jeff Wilhite, a Sangamon County spokesman, confirmed that at least one sheriff's deputy was at Massey's home on July 5. It was neither one of the deputies who responded July 6, he added.

Crump said Massey had driven herself to HSHS St. John's Hospital seeking help but had returned home later that day.

Earlier in the week, at another press conference, a family member said Massey was "paranoid schizophrenic."

"She needed a helping hand, not a bullet to the face," Crump said.

Autopsy released

Grayson shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman beneath the left eye, an autopsy report released Friday by the Sangamon County Coroner's Office revealed. Massey was in her home in an unincorporated area of Woodside Township after making a 911 call about a possible intruder.

The chaotic and sometimes gruesome video, released to the public on Monday, has caused international outrage.

Crump said Massey's family didn't know until 24 hours after her death that the person who had shot her was a sheriff's deputy.

Hill Massey learned in graphic detail about his mother "but (police) never told him who," Crump said. Other family members who showed up at Massey's house also weren't told about Grayson's role in the shooting.

Wilhite admitted he didn't know when the family was told about Grayson. He said the sheriff's office requested that Illinois State Police initiate and handle an independent investigation before Massey was declared dead.

"Per standard protocol, ISP would take over all aspects of the investigation, including identifying family and providing them with all information they felt should be shared at the time," Wilhite said.

"(The family is) suspicious of everybody and of everything. Wouldn't you be if this happened to your daughter? Your mother?"

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Crump: Sonya Massey 'needed a helping hand, not a bullet to the face'