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

If you have a bad cop who is making hostile threats and charging at someone with gun raised, and the person they are charging did nothing to warrant that aggression, that person should be within their rights to act in self defense against the cop. Maybe that’s not what the law says, but that’s how I believe it should be. I have a big problem with a cop shooting that person down and then claiming self defense for themselves.

Police are supposed to protect and serve. Bad cops, and their police departments, should be held accountable in court when they fail in that duty.

 

The defense attorney can dissect the video at the point when Grayson pulled his gun to the point where he shot her to change whatever narrative they need to convince the jurors that Grayson was acting in self defense, but you need to go beyond a reasonable doubt to do so. Based on what we all saw, its unclear how things actually played out (even when it being slowed down) with everyone forming their own different opinions. Its much easier for the prosecutor to ask the jurors to put themselves in Massey's shoes...being 5'3, unarmed and watching a 6'5, 240lb intimidating figure comes charging toward you to kill with not much time to react. If the jurors have any kind of human compassion and empathy in their hearts, then they will see how brutally frightening and traumatic that episode was for her. It just brings chills to me every time I play this out in my head, considering she felt uneasy from the time the LEOs first step into her home...which should never had occured. I have no doubt in my mind with her being mentally ill and all, felt an evil presence coming from the officers hence her words "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" as if she knew her life was in danger.

 

Anyone here have the latest info on when the trial will begin? I’ll be watching, that’s for sure. Any info on how to donate to her family or next of kin?

 

This is will come down to what is meant by “reasonable” both in self-defense and doubt.

If the jury thinks that a reasonable person would’ve felt Massey was such an imminent threat that warranted use of deadly force that would be reasonable doubt. That is going to be the key to Grayson’s defense.

I think given the evidence we’ve seen that might be difficult but we’ve seen LEO get a lot of lee way when making that argument.

 

The idea that whoever contacted Massey's family knowingly misled them is so stupid it beggars belief.

The simplest explanation is that the family was notified of her death while the investigation was still ongoing and circumstances were being hashed out, and it is likely all they knew for certain was that Massey had contacted police about a possible intruder and was now dead.

 

Police officers saying "I need to defend myself" is understandable, but it enables bad cops to behave recklessly. Officers should think twice about using deadly force, not automatically resort to it at any sign of fear. And if they are the instigator, they should face accountability for the harm done, regardless of whether the threat was real or not.

If a police officer escalates a situation, causing a threat to themselves that requires them to react by killing someone to protect themselves, they should still be charged. A new category of homicide could be established—preventable homicide—with an appropriate penalty, such as a minimum of 5 years in jail.

If a police officer doesn't escalate the situation and there is a legitimate threat to their life, they are justified in defending themselves with deadly force. However, that threat must be potentially life-threatening. Boiling hot water is close but doesn't cross the line (also depends on distance of separation, amount, delivery method).

This distinction is important because police officers are trained professionals and should be held to higher standards of accountability compared to private citizens, who are not trained and should have more leeway in self-defense situations.

 

Thin Blue Line is often blood-stained.

Sorry if below is a repost of a story, haven't been reading every post. This dude was on job 6 in 4 years, skull tattoos on his forearm, two DUIs and he still got a job as a cop. SMH

LE absolutely needs reform. A two year LE-specific degree, personality profiling, longer vacations, mandated counseling, always-on body cams, and a national database of police behavior is a good start. I respect the **** out of the idea of cops and am in awe of the heroic stuff they can do, but that’s the good side of it.

I have friends in LE and I know it’s riddled with MAGA chuds and the prerequisite angry personality traits. Not someone I want protecting my family.

One other observation on this article, the guy had cancer which may have exacerbated his who-gives-a-**** attitude. Like some in this thread have noted, he seemed destined to kill someone regardless. Its just a shame we put a gun and authority in his hands.

Anyway:

https://capitolnewsillinois.com/new...ior-to-ask-how-are-you-still-employed-with-us

 

No. The family being intentionally mislead by the police about the event would be so stupid on the part of the police as to be implausible if not unbelievable.

 

That would be almost as stupid as hiring Sean Grayson in the first place.

 

Deputy who killed Sonya Massey to remain in jail, judge rules as Illinois sheriff says he will retire

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The former Illinois deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey last month will remain jailed, a judge ruled Friday, rejecting his request to be released to accommodate his medical needs, which include treatment for colon cancer.

Also Friday, amid mounting pressure, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced he would retire by Aug. 31, saying it had become clear that he could not continue effectively in his role.

The judge overseeing the case of Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Massey in her Springfield home on July 6, ruled Friday that electronic monitoring did not sufficiently protect the community from Grayson.

Ryan M. Cadagin, presiding circuit judge of Sangamon County, described that danger as a “real and present threat.” More than 20 members of Massey’s family attended the hearing and briefly applauded the decision, which prompted the judge to ask for no interruptions.

Grayson’s attorneys had asked the judge in a motion filed last month in the 7th Judicial Circuit Court in Sangamon County to reconsider his decision to deny Grayson pretrial release. The motion said that Menard County Jail, where Grayson is being detained, “does not have the medical staff with the capacity to provide necessary care.”

Grayson’s attorney Mark Wykoff argued Friday that detention decisions are individualized and that it would not be novel or unprecedented to release Grayson.

“The threat has been mitigated by the fact he is no longer working in his official capacity,” Wykoff said, which Sangamon County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers disagreed with when she addressed the court.

Wykoff asked the judge not to allow bias, prejudice or public opinion to influence his decision.

In explaining his decision, Cadagin said Grayson poses a real and present threat to the community that is not mitigated by the fact that he is no longer a deputy or by his medical condition. Cadagin told Grayson that he was sorry to hear about his cancer and encouraged him to continue to communicate his medical needs to the jail staff, who he said are equipped to handle many types of medical conditions.

Grayson’s attorneys had said in the motion that all firearms and weapons had been removed from his home; that he did not have access to any weapons through the sheriff’s office since he had been fired; and that there was no reason to believe he would have contact with Massey’s family or “engage in violence upon release.” It also noted that Grayson, who was to be married in October, had a low score on a pretrial risk assessment. Grayson appeared virtually for the hearing.

At his arraignment last month, a judge granted the prosecution’s request that Grayson remain in custody. The judge said his comments before and after the shooting, “including disparaging remarks he made” about Massey and directing another deputy not to render aid, “are so out of bounds of societal norms that it suggests that there’s no condition that would be sufficient.”

“Simply no longer working as a police officer or home confinement or electronic monitoring or any other conditions that are oftentimes used cannot sufficiently mitigate the threat of someone who acted in this way,” the judge said.

On Friday, Campbell, the sheriff, heeded calls from Massey’s family and others across the state who had urged him to step down.

“I have committed to making changes to our standards and collaborating with other units of government on ways to prevent incidents like this in the future,” he said in a statement. “The one person truly responsible for this act is in jail, and I believe justice will be served through the legal process.”

“Despite these efforts, some in our community want me to pay the price for that person’s actions, even threatening that I pay that price with my life, my family’s lives, or the lives of my Deputies,” he also said. “We will only persevere together as a community if we turn down the temperature and resolve to do better. We must honor the life of Sonya Massey by ensuring that no one else falls victim to such tragic and senseless action. That has been my sincere mission since that fateful day.”

He said his health, as well as that of his family, the sheriff’s office and the community “has to be my priority.”

Massey had called 911 to report a suspected prowler early on the morning of July 6. Grayson and another deputy, who has not been publicly identified, responded. The encounter ended with Grayson shooting Massey in the head. He said in a field report released this week that he believed Massey intended deadly harm when she told him and the other deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” as she stood near a pot of hot liquid.

Rest: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...il-judge-rules-illinois-sheriff-st-rcna165943

 

They loitered inside her house for so long looking for drugs or any other cause of her being off kilter even going as far as asking for id

Must be a privilege to invite cops into your home and not be suspected of anything.