Holy sh*t…body cam footage of murder gets released

I think that is the case after she got shot.

 

OK I see the water on the floor and the steam rising from the floor but that would indicate that was spilled after Massey was shot with the water in the pan falling to the floor as her body fell.

 

If you have different/new video please share. Might contain vital info.

I still have doubts you are going to get much sympathy trying to sell the idea that Grayson was not in any danger.

The problem I have is that Grayson *increased* the danger and the threat by advancing on her.

At no point did he attempt to diffuse the situation, which is an abdication of his professional responsibility, but not a crime.

If at some point we get confirmation that Massey was in retreat/submission and/or did not throw the pot at him, you can put his ass in mega jail forever for all I care.

 

It isn't indicative of anything. You are drawing the conclusion that you want out of thin air.

The truth is we simply do not know what Massey was doing at the moment she was shot.

I lean towards your theory, but I cannot prove it.

 

Also when Grayson draws his weapon he is probably about 10' from Massey and on the other side of a counter. He advances towards Massey before he shoots. Massey doesn't appear to be advancing towards Grayson or in any motion that might indicate she is threatening him.

 

The water appears to be coming from behind the counter with the steam rising from the floor. Given the position of Grayson on the other side of the counter from Massey when he shoots her if she was actually throwing the water at him there should be some water on the counter with steam rising from the counter.

 

I think you can see it traveling over the chair and part of the counter, but the video resolution is terrible and the angle is also poor so nothing is conclusive.

 

I can't make that out. Can you isolate a still showing that?

 

Use of deadly force is not justified merely because one feels “threatened”. The officer’s life must have been reasonably perceived to be in immediate danger. Someone with a pot of scalding water standing several feet away, with a barrier in between, is not an immediate threat to one’s life.

I guess we should wait for the testimony from the two cops to know more definitively. I would have expected some of the recorded audio to indicate that she actually threw water at them, if that’s what happened that precipitated the shooting. None of the visual evidence that has been described points to that having happened.

Given the lack of audio describing that she physically attacked them, I’m inclined to think this cop was just nuts and really bad at his job.

 

Considering he is already fired and there are murder charges against him, I don't think the other cops are going to agree with what happened.

 

At this point, the only discussion should be how long he is jail for and how much the city will have to pony up to pay off her family.

 

The more you watch the video the guy is just demented.

@FranchiseBlade

I wasn't trying to be argumentative earlier but law enforcement officers already have to pass pretty stringent background checks. It's easy to say make them more stringent but I'm sure psych evaluations already are testing to see if someone might snap on a civilian.

Thes are rank and file positions, there is only so much money that can be spent. These incidents are statistically rare

 

Thank you and it was understood. I don't think more stringent background checks would stop all cases. Truthfully, it's also hard to get a complete picture from snippets of the check posted online.

It's just that this cop is definitely off and not someone who should have been in that position. I just wish there was a way to have kept him from ever getting in that situation.

 

I believe we saw Massey sat down and said sorry after Grayson threatened to shoot her in her f..king face. I think that is retreat/submission for me.

Something is definitely wrong with Grayson to be triggered like that. If I were one of those jurors watching this body-cam footage at every angle. There is no way in hell that I think Grayson is in danger in any ways. He chose to escalate this situation for whatever sick reason he has in head resulting in the tragic death of this poor woman.

 

Looking at those stills again I think it's going to be very hard to make a self-defense argument for Grayson. While Massey does have a pot of water in her hand she isn't trying to advance on him and doesn't appear to be making a motion to throw it. Granted at the moment of the shooting she is obscured.

Grayson is advancing on her even after he draws his weapon and if he is concerned about hot water thrown at him it wouldn't be consistent with advancing closer to the person holding the pot.

 

I think you guys are downplaying the threat too much.

Getting hit with scalding hot water can land you in the hospital. It can lead to skin grafts, infection, painkillers, etc. It's not trivial.

I agree that Grayson was in less danger at the beginning, but he was not in zero danger. I think you can reasonably analog the situation to as if Massey had a knife or any other melee weapon. You'd be surprised how quickly that 8~ feet can turn to 0 before you can subdue someone.

Grayson was not out of line to demand she drop the pot, nor was he out of line to advance on her. Was it the best thing to do? Absolutely not, especially in hindsight.

How are you expecting audio evidence to prove anything? Especially about whether Massey attacked them or not? Massey isn't going to yell out her actions. The only audio we have after the video is obscured is the officers yelling at her to drop the pot.

The key points I see are:

1) Massey apologized and cowered immediately preceding the shooting and Grayson stepping in front of the camera (her last known actions).

2) Grayson steps backward as he's firing (this supports the idea that the water was coming at him, for whatever reason).

3) Grayson's words in the immediate aftermath of the shooting (heat of the moment, less likely to be rehearsed and/or acting duplicitously).

Based on the evidence I could not convict him of first degree murder. Second degree, very possibly. First degree, no.

 

A criminal lawyer reaction to the video frame-by-frame. He believes she could possibly tried to throw the boiling hot water in self defense. It happens too fast...hard to tell. The most damning evidence are his refusal to render aid to Massey once she was shot. To sum it up quickly, too much evidence against him to get out of this. He's done.

 

Officers can advance on a suspect holding a weapon without forfeiting their concern for bodily harm.

 

It's not that it happens "too fast", it happens off camera.

 

The #1 most critical part of this trial will be the recording officer's testimony. He effectively holds that guy's life in his hands right now.