A former police officer's testimony at his murder trial for killing an unarmed woman in her home has been described as 'out of nowhere' by the victim's mother, who was in the courtroom. Sean Grayson, a 31-year-old white ex-cop, took the stand as the defense's first witness and claimed that he fired his gun in self-defense after believing Sonya Massey, 36, was about to throw boiling water at him.
Grayson said that when Massey told him she would "rebuke" him in the name of Jesus, it threw him off guard. He stated that he had ordered her to remove a pot from the stove top, but claimed that she then made a throwing motion with the pot, prompting him to fire three shots at her. However, body-worn camera footage contradicts Grayson's account, showing Massey removing the pot and putting her hands up in the air as she says "I'm sorry" before ducking behind a counter.
Grayson testified that his actions matched the threat level, stating he was only trying to arrest Massey for aggravated assault on an officer. However, police use-of-force experts have argued that Grayson's approach was "tactically unsound." University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton stated that Grayson should not have approached the counter where Massey was ducking behind and that the appropriate response would be to keep a safe distance.
The case has drawn national attention due to its racial dynamics and the graphic nature of the police body-camera footage. The defense rested its case before closing arguments, which will set the stage for jury deliberations. If convicted, Grayson faces up to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder.
Grayson said that when Massey told him she would "rebuke" him in the name of Jesus, it threw him off guard. He stated that he had ordered her to remove a pot from the stove top, but claimed that she then made a throwing motion with the pot, prompting him to fire three shots at her. However, body-worn camera footage contradicts Grayson's account, showing Massey removing the pot and putting her hands up in the air as she says "I'm sorry" before ducking behind a counter.
Grayson testified that his actions matched the threat level, stating he was only trying to arrest Massey for aggravated assault on an officer. However, police use-of-force experts have argued that Grayson's approach was "tactically unsound." University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton stated that Grayson should not have approached the counter where Massey was ducking behind and that the appropriate response would be to keep a safe distance.
The case has drawn national attention due to its racial dynamics and the graphic nature of the police body-camera footage. The defense rested its case before closing arguments, which will set the stage for jury deliberations. If convicted, Grayson faces up to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder.
like what's next? he's claiming self defense but it sounds like he was just trying to shut her up and get outta there? Grayson's story is straight out of a bad cop show, and the fact that his testimony changed from "he was attacking me" to "she was gonna throw boiling water at me" doesn't help his case 
the cops were already being scrutinized for their actions, now we're supposed to believe this guy was just trying to protect himself? it's just not adding up 
. If you ask me, it's pretty clear that Grayson lost control and made some questionable decisions 
. The fact that he thought she was going to throw boiling water at him seems kinda far-fetched 
️, especially considering how calm she sounds in the footage 
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. This case needs a super careful approach, with experts from all sides coming together to figure out what really happened 
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But what's even more wild is that Sean Grayson's defense team had him testify like he was in some kind of action movie 
'I'm gonna take down this pot-wielding menace'... Meanwhile, the experts are saying he was totally out of line and should've kept his distance. 
I don't get how a guy who claims to have served on the force didn't know any better 
Can't wait to see what happens next in this trial
. The defense's argument that Grayson was simply trying to arrest Massey for aggravated assault on an officer seems dubious, especially considering the police use-of-force experts' assertion that his approach was 'tactically unsound.' This case is far from over, but it's hard not to feel a sense of unease about the potential trajectory of this trial 
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And what's with the 'in the name of Jesus' comment? That sounds super out of place and kinda sinister 
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. It's gonna be so hard to watch whatever verdict comes out of this... 