Tell-It Report: Former Deputy Who Killed Sonya Massey Refused To Provide Life-Saving Aid

The trial against Sean Grayson is underway more than a year after he fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home.

In Gullah Geechee communities, a “tell-it” was a designated lookout, community warning system and the most trusted source for news and information. The Tell-It Report is ContrabandCamp’s weekly roundup of the Black stories that deserve more attention — from politics to entertainment.

Court findings reveal that Sonya Massey could’ve survived a 2024 police shooting had the deputies on scene administered aid.

New video shows Tasha Grant repeating “I can’t breathe” 23 times before she died in police custody. Her family is demanding justice.

Police swarmed a high school student at gunpoint after an AI program mistook his bag of Doritos for a gun.

Read the full stories below:

Cop who shot Sonya Massey said using his medical kit would be a “waste”

The trial against the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson is underway, and it was revealed that he said he didn’t want to “waste” his medical kit on her after fatally shooting Sonya Massey.

On Wednesday, Grayson’s partner, Sheriff’s Deputy Dawson Farley, testified that he was “caught off guard” when Grayson shot Massey because she didn’t appear to be a threat, the State Journal-Register reports. Farley tried to administer aid to stop Massey’s bleeding. Bodycam footage shows Grayson discouraging Farley from getting a medical kit, according to WBEZ.

“Nah, it’s a head shot, dude, she’s done,” Grayson said.

Grayson is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of Massey.

On July 6, 2024, the Springfield, Illinois, woman called 911, believing that someone had broken into her home. Twelve jurors watched footage from Farley’s bodycam, which shows Massey visibly scared when she opened the door for the deputies. “Please, don’t hurt me,” she told Grayson and Farley. They entered her house and requested identification after noticing that a vehicle parked in her driveway wasn’t registered to her. While searching, they ask her to check on a pot of water that had been boiling. When she picked up the pot, Grayson backed up, and Massey asked what he was doing. Grayson replied that he was distancing himself from the hot water, to which Massey said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson drew his gun and threatened to shoot Massey “right in your f—--g face.” Massey apologized and dropped to the floor. Seconds after shouting for Massey to drop the pot, Grayson shot three rounds. Massey later died at St. John’s Hospital.

On Monday, Grayson took the stand and said he thought about using a Taser, but that it “doesn’t work on everybody.”

On Thursday, a forensics expert, Dr. Nathaniel Patterson, took the stand on behalf of the prosecution and testified that one of three bullets hit Massey in her eye but didn’t touch her brain, WBEZ reports. Patterson, who performed Massey’s autopsy, said the bullet severed her carotid artery and that she could have survived if someone had controlled her bleeding immediately after.

Her cousin, Sontae Massey, told reporters that finding out her cousin could still be alive is “just devastating.”

“We want Sonya to be still here,” she said. “I still think about Sonya every day and want to call her every day. That could have happened if [the responding officers] just did their jobs.”

In February, Attorney Ben Crump helped Massey’s family secure a $10 million settlement with Sangamon County.

Grayson maintains that he acted in self-defense. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison.

Tasha Grant’s family demands answers after she died in Cuyahoga County custody

New body camera footage was released showing Tasha Grant repeated the words “I can’t breathe” 23 times leading up to her death in May. Now her family and attorneys are demanding answers.

The 39-year-old Cleveland woman was arrested on April 17 for vandalism and aggravated menacing, WJW reports. On May 2, she was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center to treat chest pains she said she was experiencing.

While in custody at the hospital, Grant, who was a double amputee and Type 1 diabetic, began having a mental health crisis. Body camera footage shows officers restraining her after she threw herself on the floor and threatened to harm others, according to the local outlet. Officers also injected a sedative into her arm, which may have impacted her breathing, a report from The Marshall Project notes.

Grant was handcuffed to the bed and left for the hospital’s care on May 5. About 14 minutes later, she died. Her death was later ruled a homicide. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating it as such.

One of the family’s attorneys, Stanley Jackson, spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, according to WOIO.

“That night, that day, she even said that she was fearing for her life,” he said. “That was a moment where she cried for help, and they callously just let her lie there and die, and didn’t do anything to support her, aid her, and didn’t treat her with decency and humanity.”

Her brother, Andre Grant, told WJW that he’s heartbroken. “I want to see justice done for her, my nephew, and the family,” he said. “I love her and I miss her.”

Though the video does show a nurse trying to resuscitate Grant, The Marshall Project found that footage of the moment Grant was found unresponsive was missing.

Audio captured revealed some of Grant’s mental struggles at the time. She told a nurse, “I’m upset. I’m afraid. I’m scared.” She confided in that same nurse about jail being the reason for her legs being amputated and her not knowing her child’s location. She also said she missed her late mother. “Don’t nobody know how I feel.”

Though no lawsuit has been filed yet, the family’s attorneys said they’re demanding answers, calling the incident “a total systemic failure across the board.” Attorney Robert Gresham said, “No one did what they were supposed to do, and everyone will be held accountable.”

Black student swarmed by cops after AI mistook a bag of Doritos for a weapon

Baltimore County police arrested a 16-year-old high school student with guns drawn after his football practice when an artificial intelligence program mistook the bag of chips he was eating for a gun, WBAL-TV reports.

Taki Allen told the outlet that several police cars pulled up to where he and his friends were sitting outside of Kenwood High School on Monday.

“Police showed up, like eight cop cars, and then they all came out with guns pointed at me talking about getting on the ground. I was putting my hands up like, ‘what’s going on?’ He told me to get on my knees and arrested me and put me in cuffs,” Allen told WMAR.

Twenty minutes earlier, Allen had eaten a bag of Doritos, crumbled it up, and put it in his pocket.

Police showed Allen the photo that the AI program, Omnilert, read as a weapon. It was actually a Doritos bag, which cops found on the ground near where Allen was standing. Allen was released when they realized that there was no weapon.

J. Wyndal Gordon, the teen’s lawyer, told The Baltimore Banner that the incident was “traumatic and humiliating.”

“He was treated like a criminal for holding a bag of chips,” the attorney said. “This was a false alarm that could have turned deadly.”

Baltimore County police sent a statement to WBAL on Tuesday:

“On Monday evening, at approximately 7:20 p.m., officers assigned to Precinct 11-Essex responded to Kenwood High School following a report of a suspicious person with a weapon. Once on scene, the person was searched, and it was determined the subject was not in possession of any weapons. I would refer you to BCPS regarding questions pertaining to Omnilert.”

Omnilert has been used in Baltimore County public schools since 2023. The system uses AI to analyze footage from 7,000 school security cameras. If it detects a weapon, it alerts principals, safety assistants, and security staff.

“Because the image closely resembled a gun being held, it was verified and forwarded to the Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) safety team within seconds for their assessment and decision-making,” Omnilert spokesperson Blake Mitchell told The Baltimore Banner.

Allen’s grandfather, Lamont Davis, told the outlet, “There was no threat for eight guns to be pointed at a 16-year-old.”

The teen told WMAR that he doesn’t feel comfortable at school anymore, especially with the delayed response to addressing the incident. Now he waits inside until his ride comes to pick him up.

“I was expecting them to at least come up to me after the situation or the day after, but three days later that just shows like, do you really care or are you just doing it because the superintendent called me,” Allen said.

Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers told WBAL that the situation was “truly unfortunate.” Rogers also said that she will review the notification process.

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• Misty Copeland is officially retired after a final performance as principal of the American Ballet Theatre on Wednesday.

• Florida is building its first Black history museum.

• Paul Ingrassia withdraws his nomination for Trump’s federal whistleblower protections lead after his racist texts surfaced last week.

• The University of West Florida is considering removing Juneteenth as one of its eight paid holidays for employees.

• Legendary bassist and pioneer Anthony Jackson has died at the age of 73.

• A program that keeps Black kids out of foster care is at risk of losing its federal funding.