‘He Died for Nothing’: Illinois Cops Shot 4-Year-Old Held By Suspect as a Human Shield. Outraged Mom Says Police Acted Recklessly, But DA Declined to File Charges

In the weeks since Sonya Massey’s tragic slaying at the hands of an Illinois cop, new details have surfaced about another police killing in the same state that claimed the life of a 4-year-old boy purported to be her younger cousin.

Sean Grayson pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct he faces in connection with Massey’s death.

Bodycam footage was released last week showing the former sheriff’s deputy shooting an unarmed Massey, who was seen cowering in fear for her life before the fatal shots were fired in her Springfield home.

Just four months before Massey’s untimely death, a four-year-old child named Terrell Miller was fatally shot by a police officer in western Illinois. Several social media posts began circulating that drew comparisons between the deaths of Massey and Miller. Some posts even alleged both victims were related.

Terrell was killed at his home on March 16 in the town of Macomb, which is just 84 miles away from Springfield.

Police were called to his mother’s apartment that night to respond to reports of a domestic dispute that escalated into a hostage situation. Bodycam footage shows two responding officers breaking down the door to the apartment after hearing screams and cries for help from the apartment. That’s where they discovered Terrell’s mother, Keianna Miller, with multiple stab wounds.

The officers escorted Keianna from the apartment while her alleged assailant, 57-year-old Anthony George, retreated to Terrell’s bedroom. George is seen using Terrell as a human shield and holding a knife to his neck and another blade around his waist during his confrontation with the police.

The situation took a deadly turn when one cop fired a shot that passed through Terrell’s head and into George’s neck. Both of them died at the scene.

Miller’s attorney stated that only 16 seconds passed between the moment the officers kicked down the apartment door and the moment the fatal shot was fired. She added that the officers never executed any de-escalation or negotiation tactics.

Unlike Massey’s case, prosecutors declined to criminally charge the officer who shot Terrell.

The findings from the Illinois State Police’s official investigation into the shooting were turned over to a special prosecutor who ultimately decided not to file charges.

McDonough County state prosecutors, who often handle Macomb’s police cases, wanted Terrell’s case to be reviewed by the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, according to the Peoria Journal Star.

After reviewing police reports, audio and video recordings of the shooting, and use of force protocols, special prosecutor Jonathan H. Barnard wrote a letter to the county’s state prosecutors stating that he found “no basis for any criminal action or prosecution that is supportable under the facts of this case against any of the officers involved in this tragic incident.”

What’s unclear is how Barnard justified the use of deadly force that endangered a 4-year-old boy.

According to the Washington Post’s police shootings database , Terrell is the youngest child to be fatally shot by police in Illinois since 2015. That’s the year the newspaper began gathering police shooting data.

“I feel like Terrell will never receive justice. He died for nothing.” Keianna Miller told KHQA.

Terrell’s mother said her son would have turned 5 on July 18. She told an NPR radio affiliate that her family knows Massey’s family, but both families are not biologically related.

“I know her whole family. We’ve been knowing each other for some years,” Miller told Tri States Public Radio.

She encouraged the Macomb community to continue protesting for justice for Terrell and Massey.

Years ago, Miller said she once had a horrific premonition that her son would die at the hands of police. According to the Daily Beast , she was captured on video at a Black Lives Matter event in 2020 speaking with members of the Illinois Democratic Women’s group about a dream she had.

“Before I even had my son, I’ve been having this recurring dream that the police runs into my house and kills me and my son,” Miller said in the video. “Some days, I wish I was a whole other color to get a better chance at life. … I don’t want to be here in Macomb. I don’t even want to be here in the state because of how corrupt it is.”

She also talked of an encounter she had with a police officer when she was pregnant with Terrell, who allegedly asked the gender of her baby before saying, “I can’t wait to arrest your son.”

Miller’s attorney claimed the officer who shot Terrell acted recklessly and urged authorities to investigate the case again.

“We intend to hold the Macomb Police Department accountable for Terrell’s tragic death and will be pursuing civil remedies,” attorney Marleen Suarez said.

‘He Died for Nothing’: Illinois Cops Shot 4-Year-Old Held By Suspect as a Human Shield. Outraged Mom Says Police Acted Recklessly, But DA Declined to File Charges