The U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey in Springfield earlier this month. NBC Chicago’s Christian Farr reports.
The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman killed inside her Sangamon county home, had been employed by a half-dozen police agencies since 2020, according to state law enforcement records.
Sean Grayson’s career included short stints as a part-time officer at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth department as well as working full time at two sheriff’s offices, all in central Illinois.
Grayson, 30, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges in the July 6 killing. He was fired last week by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Massey had called 911 to report a suspected prowler. Two deputies eventually showed up at her house in Springfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
Sheriff’s body camera video released Monday confirmed prosecutors’ earlier account of the tense moment when Grayson yelled across a counter at Massey to set down a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly rose, and Grayson fired his pistol at her. Massey was hit three times, with a fatal shot to her head.
At a news conference Tuesday in Springfield, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, asserted that the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the incident, “which is welcome, because there have been some concerns and revelations by the family that we think need to be investigated.” He said he did not know the scope of the probe.
But in a statement, the Department of Justice said it “is aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death” and said it “will continue to track the criminal case.”
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James Wilburn, Massey’s father, called for Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign.
“I want to tell y’all the sheriff here is an embarrassment,” Wilburn said. “This man (Grayson) should have never had a badge. And he should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.”
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A telephone message was left with Campbell’s office.
The Associated Press is seeking Grayson’s employment history from the six agencies.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired part time on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He also was hired part time on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department.
Two months later, he was hired full time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023, and was hired full time on May 1, 2023, by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
He received his part-time Law Enforcement Certification on June 5, 2021, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. His certification status currently reads as suspended on the board’s website.
Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined comment.
Wilburn and Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, met with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at a Baptist church Tuesday morning.
“They understood that oftentimes the Sonya Masseys of the world don’t get due process of the law. And that they were committed to saying this would be a fair and transparent investigation and process at every level,” Crump said.
The family wants Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, both of which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the legislation died in the Senate. The first aims to crack down on police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement, while the Voting Rights Act would require local jurisdictions to seek federal approval before changing voting laws.
“Every member of Congress needs to vote today so that nobody else in this United States of America has to go through what we’re going through,” Wilburn said.
In a statement released Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said she is joining President Joe Biden in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris said. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.”
Massey’s oldest child, 17-year-old Malachi Hill Massey, said he watched the beginning the body camera video of the shooting of his mother but didn’t finish it.
“I don’t have no words for this,” Malachi Massey said.
Grayson was being held without bond in the Sangamon County Jail. If convicted, he faces prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery and two to five years for misconduct.
