(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Sonya Massey and her mother both made calls to police in the days before she was shot and killed by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy, according to 911 audio released Wednesday.
In one call, Sonya Massey said a neighbor hit her with a brick. On the morning of July 5 — one day before the shooting — Donna Massey called police and said her daughter is having a mental breakdown and needs help, but she also made a request of 911 dispatchers.
“Please don’t send no combative policemen that are prejudiced, please,” Donna Massey said. “They’re scary. I’m scared of the police. Sometimes they make the situation worse.”
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department is still trying to determine whether Massey’s history of mental health issues was relayed to deputies responding to the call about a suspected prowler, which ended in her death on July 6.
Former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, 30, who is white, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the shooting death of Massey, 36, in her home. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.