Sheriff who hired ex-deputy charged in Sonya Massey killing to retire

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The sheriff for Illinois’ Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which employed the former deputy charged with fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 to report a prowler, will be retiring later this month, he announced Friday 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 that I swore to protect. For this reason, I am announcing my retirement as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31st,” Sheriff Jack Campbell said in the statement.

Campbell was responsible for hiring Sean Grayson, the now-former 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 Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.

Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.

Prior to his employment with Sangamon, Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for just under a year. According to audio files obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case.

Campbell previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was not aware of this incident when Grayson was hired. Without knowledge of his disciplinary issues at Logan County, Campbell said that Grayson presented no red flags.

Prior to his time in public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.

ABC News 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 his department’s vetting process and had said at the time that he would not resign, despite calls from Massey’s family for him to step down.

On Friday, he said that it has “become clear that the current political climate has made it nearly impossible for me to continue effectively in my role.”

“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as Sheriff,” he said. “The health of me and my family, the Sheriff’s Office, and our community has to be my priority.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker had called on Campbell to resign over Grayson’s hiring.

“I called for the sheriff’s resignation because the sheriff has failed,” Pritzker said at an event on Wednesday, according to ABC Chicago station WLS. “He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff who has been fired from other departments.”

Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, called Campbell’s retirement “a turning point in the ongoing pursuit of justice.”

“Although the pain of her loss is still fresh, Sonya’s family is willing to work with the outgoing sheriff for the remainder of his tenure to help heal the community and achieve full justice for Sonya,” Crump said in a statement. “The Massey family also hopes to work with Sangamon County’s next sheriff to examine how this tragedy happened and to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again in this community.”

Campbell, who was elected sheriff in 2018, told ABC News he was “horrified” following the incident involving Massey.

Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to her 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.

Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.

Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”

Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”

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

Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.

Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office this week.

“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.

Grayson’s defense team was seeking his pretrial release from jail, arguing in a motion filed on Thursday that he is currently under cancer treatment and will not receive adequate care in the Menyard County Jail. They also stated that he does not pose a threat to Massey’s family.

A judge denied the request on Friday. ABC News has reached out to Grayson’s attorneys for comment.

The Menard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Grayson “is not receiving any preferential treatment, nor being afforded any privileges or benefits not afforded to other inmates of the Menard County Jail.”

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