Autopsy confirms Sonya Massey’s cause of death as homicide by gunshot to the head

Sonya Massey, the Illinois woman who was fatally shot by a deputy while responding to her emergency call, was killed by homicide as a result of a gunshot wound to her head, according to an autopsy report released Friday by the Sangamon County coroner.

Although the autopsy report did not specify the cause of death, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon confirmed it was a homicide.

“The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, classified as homicide,” Allmon told ABC News in a statement.

The bullet that caused Massey’s death, 36, entered through the lower eyelid of her left eye and exited through the back left surface of her upper neck, as stated in the autopsy report.

Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who shot Massey, was terminated and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct in connection to Massey’s death. He pleaded not guilty.

Massey and another unnamed deputy responded to Massey’s 911 call reporting a possible intruder at her residence in Springfield on July 6.

Body camera footage released on Monday depicts Grayson, 30, yelling at Massey to put down a pot of boiling water.

In the footage, which was reviewed by ABC News, Massey can be heard asking the two deputies who arrived in response to her call, “Please, don’t harm me,” after she opened the door to them.

Grayson replied, “I don’t intend to harm you, you called us.”

Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home searching for her ID, Grayson points out the pot of boiling water on her stove and warns, “We can’t have a fire while we’re in here.”

Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I reject you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson threatens to fire at her, according to the footage, and Massey apologizes, crouching behind a counter, shielding her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly stands up, and Grayson shoots her three times in the face, as shown in the video.

The footage is from the perspective of Grayson’s partner, since Grayson did not activate his own body camera until after the shooting, according to court documents.

A review conducted by the Illinois State Police concluded that Grayson’s use of lethal force was unjustified.

Grayson was dismissed from the U.S. Army for “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.

ABC News has learned that Grayson was also charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.

Grayson’s lawyer, Dan Fultz, declined to provide a statement.

The news of his dismissal and DUI charges comes after it was discovered through records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, obtained by ABC News, that Grayson had worked for six law enforcement agencies over the past four years.