A new bodycam video released by Illinois police shows the final moments of a woman who called the police over a suspected intruder before she was shot dead inside her home by the police she summoned.
The killing of Sonya Massey, 36, over Independence Day weekend has led to criminal charges against the officer who opened fire and drawn condemnation from the White House.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson has been sacked from the police force and charged with murder and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. As of Monday, he was being held without bond.
The released footage shows the officers shouting at Ms Massey to put down a pot of boiling water as they point their pistols at her. The incident in the early hours of 6 July began when Ms Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320km) south of Chicago, to report that she believed someone had broken into her property.
Officers followed her inside when Ms Massey entered her home and watched as she searched for her identification.
In the video, officer Grayson sees a pot sitting on a lit stove, gestures towards it and says: “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.”
Ms Massey walks to the stove to remove the pot. They both appear to laugh over her pot of “steaming hot water”, before she twice says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” said the officer. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.
“OK, I’m sorry,” Ms Massey is heard saying before she ducks.
After shooting her, the officer says: “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”
As the other deputy tries to get a medical kit, the officer says: “She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot.”
Grayson then leaves to get his own medical kit, after the other officer says that they can at least try to stop Ms Massey’s bleeding.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said the use of lethal force in Ms Mayson’s house cannot be justified.
President Biden said he was “heartbroken” for her family and that her death was a reminder “that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not”.
Vice-President Kamala Harris called on Congress to pass police reforms, posting on X: “Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.
“The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many – we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.”