Cops Who Shoot Civilians Are Rarely Punished. But One…
Originally reported by The Trace — 2026-02-12
When Judge Ryan Cadagin sentenced Sean Grayson, a former sheriff’s deputy, to 20 years in an Illinois prison for shooting and killing Sonya Massey after responding to a call about a burglar, a mix of consolation and sympathy spread throughout the courtroom as people gasped and cried. Massey’s family, which had endured nearly two years of uncertainty since her death, understood the odds were stacked against them; law enforcement officers are given wide discretion, under the law, to use deadly force when they perceive someone is a threat. But the Grayson case unfolded differently from most other police shootings, sparking outrage in Illinois and across the country in July 2024. Massey had called 911 to report a suspected intruder in her Woodside Township home, just eight miles south of Sprin
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Cops Who Shoot Civilians Are Rarely Punished. But One Verdict in Illinois Stands Out. — The Trace
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