The sheriff for Illinois’ Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which employed the former deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonya Massey at her home after she called 911 to report a prowler, will retire later this month, he announced in a statement.
“As elected leaders, we must always put the overall good of the community above ourselves; and I will not risk the community I swore to protect. Therefore, I am announcing my retirement as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31,” said the Sheriff Jack Campbell in the statement.
Campbell is responsible for hiring Sean Grayson, who is now a deputy who has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by the Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in the use of deadly force. He was fired from his position at the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
This image taken from an Associated Press video shows Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell speaking during an interview with The Associated Press, Aug. 1, 2024, in Springfield, Ill.
Melissa Winder/AP
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County is one of six police jobs he’s held in the past four years.
Prior to working in Sangamon, Grayson worked for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for less than a year. According to an audio file obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, expressed concern about Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports when discussing traffic issues.
Campbell previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was not aware of this incident when Grayson was hired. With no knowledge of disciplinary issues in Logan County, Campbell said Grayson didn’t raise any red flags.
Before becoming a general law enforcement officer, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.
ABC News has also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Campbell stood by the department’s vetting process and said he would not resign, despite calls from Massey’s family for him to resign.
On Friday, he said that “It has become clear that the current political climate makes it almost impossible for me to be effective in my role.”
“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and riot, than allow me to continue as Sheriff,” he said. “The health of myself and my family, the Sheriff’s Office, and our community must be my priority.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called on Campbell to resign over Grayson’s firing.
“I’m asking for the resignation of the sheriff because the sheriff has failed,” Pritzker said on Wednesday’s show, according to ABC Chicago station WLS. “He failed to explain how he was able to hire this sheriff’s deputy who had been fired from another department.”
Campbell, who was elected sheriff in 2018, told ABC News he was “horrified” after the incident involving Massey.
Grayson, 30, and another unnamed deputy responded to a 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at a Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling two responding deputies, “Please don’t hurt me,” after he answered a knock on the door.
Grayson replied, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while at Massey’s house as he searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on the stove and says, “We don’t need a fire when we’re here.”
Massey then poured water into the sink and told the deputy, “I wash you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then yells at Massey and threatens to shoot him, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind the counter, covering his face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. He briefly got up, when Grayson shot him three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said she feared for her life when she met Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office this week.
“While on the scene, I feared Dep. (redacted) and I would receive great bodily harm or death. Fearing for our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in the field case report.
