James Wilburn, the father of 36-year-old Sonya Massey, who was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy in her Springfield, Illinois home after she rebuked him "in the name of Jesus" has called the officer an "emissary of Satan".
Wilburn shared his thoughts with CBS Mornings, suggesting his daughter feared for her life when she rebuked 30-year-old Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson on 6th July.
"I think that she feared for her life. There was something, some premonition that she had, and it seemed like he was just an emissary of Satan," he explained. "And that's what caused him to do what he did. It's just unexplainable."
An initial statement from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office detailed that officers were dispatched to a residence in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue at around 12:50 am following a 911 call about a prowler.
Upon arrival, two deputies searched the area and, at 1:21 am, reported that shots were fired and a female was struck.
Massey was transported to St. John's Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
A nearly 19-minute body-camera recording released by the Illinois State Police contradicted parts of the initial statement, showing the officers waiting for over four minutes before Massey opened the door. She appeared anxious and quickly told the officers, "Please don't hurt me."
Grayson responded, "Why would we hurt you? You called us."
Massey indicated that someone had been lurking around her yard. The officers informed her they had searched the area and found no immediate threat. After some conversation, Grayson asked about her mental health, prompting a longer interaction.
Grayson was unconvinced by Massey's assurance that she was fine and asked her about a black SUV in her driveway. Massey stated it wasn't hers, and when asked for identification, she invited the officers inside to retrieve her "paperwork".
Around 8 minutes and 35 seconds into the video, Grayson suggested she check on a boiling pot on her stove. The encounter turned deadly shortly thereafter.
In the video, Massey can be seen removing the pot from the stove and placing it in the sink. As the officers backed away, Grayson commented, "Away from your hot steaming water."
Massey responded, "Oh, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," to which Grayson threatened, "You better f— not, or I swear to God I'll f— shoot you in the f— face."
"I apologise," she said as she was ordered to drop the pot. Holding mittens in her hand, she crouched defensively. Grayson, with his gun drawn, then appeared to advance fire several shots, reportedly striking her in the head.
Speaking on the footage, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump argued that Grayson "walks around the counter and engages to get a better shot".
"He could have backed up. He could have used a Taser," Crump added.
Grayson claimed that Massey came at him with the boiling water.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell called the shooting "unjustifiable and reckless", stating that Grayson's actions did not reflect the values or training of the sheriff's office.
Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
Wilburn, who had heart surgery two years ago, reflected on the pain of losing his daughter, who leaves behind two children.
He initially believed she had been killed by an intruder or had died by suicide. "Thank God for the body-camera footage," he said. "It's probably the most horrible, heart-wrenching thing we've ever seen in our lives, but if it were not for the body-cam footage, we would not have known that this occurred."