Sonya Masseys killer Sean Grayson dies in US prison

Sean Grayson, the white US police officer convicted of murdering a black woman, Sonya Massey, during an incident at her home in 2024, has died in prison at age 32.

Grayson shot dead Massey, 36, during an exchange that took place after she reported a suspected intruder at her residence in Illinois. The killing reignited the debate about police brutality in the US.

Grayson said he fired because he thought Massey was about to throw a pot of boiling water on him. He was last year found guilty of second-degree murder.

The former police officer was undergoing treatment for colon cancer. His lawyer Daniel Fultz confirmed to the BBC that Grayson had died on Sunday, but did not disclose the cause.

The BBC has asked the Illinois Department of Corrections for comment.

Lawyers for Massey’s family said: “Grayson’s death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back.”

“We wish his family prayers of peace, as we do for all who grieve a loved one. Sonya’s family knows that pain all too well and will grieve her loss the rest of their days,” the lawyers said, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

Protests took place across the US in the aftermath of Massey’s death, and then-President Joe Biden declared that the late woman “should be alive today”.