Sonya Massey's mom called 911 day before shooting to report daughter was having a mental breakdown

ByEmma Tucker and Jillian Sykes, CNN CNNWire logo

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Sonya Massey, mom called 911 multiple times in days before deathSonya Massey and her mother called 911 multiple times for mental health crises in the day before she was fatally shot by police officer Sean Grayson.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The day before the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey in Illinois, her mother called 911 and said her daughter was having a mental breakdown but wasn't dangerous: "I don't want you guys to hurt her. Please." It's unclear whether the deputies who responded the next day knew about her mental health concern.

The newly obtained emergency response calls provide more details on law enforcement's knowledge of Massey's condition leading up to the shooting, as national outrage over her killing in her Springfield home on July 6 and the deputy's actions continues to grow.

Sean Grayson, the 30-year-old Sangamon County sheriff's deputy who has since been fired from the agency, was indicted by a grand jury on July 17 on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in connection with the shooting.

He has entered a not guilty plea and was denied pretrial release, according to court records.

"(Sonya Massey) called for help and we failed," Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said during a community meeting about the shooting at a church in Springfield Monday.

On July 5, Massey and her mother, Donna Massey, called 911 at different times, according to Sangamon County records. The mother told a dispatcher the day before the shooting that her daughter is having a mental breakdown but isn't a danger to herself or others.

While dispatch records show the sheriff's department had been told that Massey was having mental health issues, the department did not provide comment when asked by CNN whether the responding officers on July 6 were aware of Massey's mental health concerns.

The shooting unfolded after two Sangamon County sheriff's deputies responded to Massey's house early on July 6 after she called 911 and reported a possible "prowler" at her home, prosecutors said.

From the start of their interaction, Massey was exhibiting various signs suggesting she may be experiencing mental health issues, body-camera footage shows.

She had trouble understanding and answering their basic questions, and when they ask if she's doing alright mentally, she says, "Yes, I took my medicine," according to the body camera footage.

In a news conference, Massey's family and their attorney Ben Crump said she had mental health challenges. "She needed a helping hand," Crump said. "She didn't need a bullet to the face."

Massey is one of a number of Black women who have been killed by police in their own homes in recent years, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson. Crump has also connected her death to other cases of police violence against Black people across the US.

Massey's mother called 911, reported she was having mental breakdown

Around 9 a.m. July 5, the day before the shooting, Massey's mother reported her daughter - who she identified as Sonya Massey - was being "sporadic" and having a mental breakdown, but noted "she's not a danger to herself, she's not a danger to me," according to the audio tape reviewed by CNN.

"When she gets upset, then she thinks everybody's after her - like paranoid schizophrenic," said Massey's mother, who then pleaded with the dispatcher not to send "any combative policemen who are prejudiced, please." She added: "I'm scared of the police."

By around 10 a.m., Sonya Massey had advised responding officers she didn't want to speak with medical professionals or seek treatment, according to the dispatch report. At the scene, she spoke with EMTs and behavioral health workers who cleared her, it said.

Just before 1 p.m. that same day, another 911 call is placed again and a female voice, sounding distressed, is heard yelling that someone had broken her window, before hanging up. The call for service detail report later names Massey in the call.

In a call back, she told the dispatcher her neighbor hit her with a brick. The dispatch record stated Massey had "talked with mobile crisis" three times in the previous two weeks.

Later at St. John's Hospital, where Massey sought treatment, a sheriff's deputy who spoke with Massey reported she "admitted to breaking her own window" and "appeared to be having some 10-96 issues," a policing code for mental health problems.

Massey showed the deputy her paperwork from a July 3 interaction with the mobile crisis unit, the dispatch report said.

In sharing 911 calls associated with Massey, authorities also released another call with an unidentified caller and redacted address. In the call, recorded at 9:27 p.m. July 4, the caller told the dispatcher people "were trying to hurt her" before becoming hesitant, and then saying she "no longer needed police," according to the call for service detail report.

It's unclear whether there were any additional 911 calls from or associated with Massey. Authorities did not release the audio from the July 6 call.

What happened on July 6

On the night of Massey's killing, roughly 30 minutes pass between Massey's 911 call and the time that she was shot, according to the call for service detail report.

The body-camera footage released via the Illinois State Police shows Grayson and another deputy speaking calmly with Massey in her home - at which point she goes to the stove to turn off a pot of boiling water. She then picks up the pot and the other deputy steps back, "away from your hot steaming water," he says.

"I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," she says in response.

"Huh?" the deputy says.

"I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," she repeats.

"You better f**king not or I swear to God I'll f**king shoot you in the f**king face," Grayson says.

He then draws his firearm and points it at her, and she ducks and says, "I'm sorry" while lifting the pot, the video shows.

"Drop the f**king pot!" both deputies yell.

Three shots are heard. After a few seconds of silence, one deputy says, "shots fired" and calls for emergency medical services.

"Dude, I'm not taking f**king boiling water to the f**king head. And look, it came right to our feet, too," Grayson says.

Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he fatally shot Massey, according to charging documents. The other deputy had activated his body camera when he first arrived at the scene, the documents state.

In the body-camera footage, the other deputy says he's going to get a medical kit to help, but Grayson responds, "Nah, she's done. You can go get it but that's a headshot."

Officers trained to recognize mental health crises

Law enforcement experts tell CNN officers are trained in recognizing whether they are dealing with someone who might be experiencing a mental health crisis. The officers could have asked more questions to determine Massey's mental state and asked whether she's receiving social services before using deadly force, experts said.

Such a situation requires "the use of special skills, techniques, and abilities to effectively and appropriately resolve the situation, while minimizing violence," according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which conducts training and recommends best practices for law enforcement.

The IACP says, "Officers are not expected to diagnose mental or emotional conditions, but rather to recognize behaviors that are potentially indicative" of someone in crisis.

Massey's family is calling for a probe into Grayson's hiring, citing their concerns over his previous employment records showing he worked at six police departments within a four-year period, since 2020, after being charged with two DUI misdemeanor offenses in Illinois' Macoupin County - one in 2015 and the other in 2016.

Grayson's personnel files also revealed several deficiencies in his workplace performance, training and skill set at agencies where he previously worked. Chief Steven Snodgrass at the Virden Police Department said Grayson "did not demonstrate good officer safety skills." Chief Dave Campbell at the Auburn Police Department said he thinks Grayson "needs more training." Grayson's co-worker at the Logan County Sheriff's Office also said he "believes (Grayson) needs more extensive training."

Grayson's psychological evaluation for employment at the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office noted that Grayson "knows he can move too fast at times" and that "he needs to slow down to make good decisions," but ultimately concluded that "overall, he appears to be a suitable fit for the position."

If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the new three-digit code at 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.

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