Illinois sheriff retiring after deputy he hired was charged with murder for shooting Sonya Massey

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois sheriff who hired the deputy charged in the death of Sonya Massey announced Friday that he will retire, five weeks after the 36-year-old Black woman was fatally shot in her home.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who won the office in 2018, said politics stood in the way of his effectiveness as sheriff and suggested he and his family had received death threats. Campbell, a 30-year veteran of the department, had previously said he did “not intend to step down.”

“We must honor the life of Sonya Massey by ensuring that no one else falls victim to such tragic and senseless action. That has been my sincere mission since that fateful day,” Campbell said in a statement. “But 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,” Campbell said.

A Republican, the 60-year-old Campbell said he would vacate his office no later than Aug. 31.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, demanded this week that Campbell step aside, saying he had not provided answers to questions about how Sean Grayson became a deputy in the central Illinois county that’s home to the state capital of Springfield. Grayson, 30, was fired after being indicted on murder and other charges in Massey’s July 6 killing.

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Previously, Massey’s father, James Wilburn, called Campbell “an embarrassment” and called for him to quit.

Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He is being held without bond in the Menard County Jail. His defense attorney has declined to comment on the case.

Authorities said that after Massey called 911 to report a suspected prowler, two deputies went to her residence in Springfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Sheriff’s body camera video released on July 22 confirmed prosecutors’ earlier account of the tense moment when Grayson yelled across a kitchen counter at Massey to set down a pot of hot water. When he then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly rose. In the chaos, it appeared she picked up the pan again and Grayson fired his 9 mm pistol three times, hitting her once just beneath her left eye, according to autopsy findings.

When Grayson was fired, Campbell said it was evident the deputy “did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.”

Campbell attended a listening session with community members on July 29 asking for the Massey family’s forgiveness and saying, “I offer up no excuses.”

Illinois law enforcement records show that Grayson’s policing career began in 2020 with six jobs in four years. That 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.

A decade ago, he was kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken driving convictions in which he had a weapon in his car, authorities said. He was convicted of DUI again less than a year later.

Law enforcement experts say those convictions plus his previous employment record should have raised serious questions when the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department hired him in May 2023.

He was disciplined while a deputy for Logan County, north of Springfield, for not following a superior’s command to halt a high-speed chase — an indiscretion Campbell said he was not made aware of when seeking a reference from Logan County. But there’s no evidence he was forced out of any of those jobs.

“This man (Grayson) should have never had a badge,” Wilburn said. “And he should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.”

Wilburn’s call for Campbell’s job was followed by that of several Democrats on the GOP-dominated county board and then Pritzker, who claimed Campbell had not been forthcoming with answers about Grayson’s hiring, what reforms he planned to implement and why he hadn’t met with the Massey family.

“I just want to know and he has been unwilling to answer the questions — if he’d been willing to do these things, then act. He’s had a month,” Pritzker said. “There would be a lot less frustration, a lot more perhaps a sense of safety. But none of that was done by the sheriff.”

Campbell’s office reserved a website exclusively for questions about the incident where Grayson’s personnel file, audio of 911 calls, deputies’ field reports from July 6 and other documents requested by the public were posted. He said he had reached out to Massey family intermediaries asking to sit down with them on four occasions but none had been accepted.

Marc Ayers, a Democratic county board member who sought Campbell’s departure, said in a statement that the board “must implement bold reforms to bring further accountability and transparency” to the sheriff’s office.

“I invite the community to heal and come together as we fight for justice not just for Sonya Massey, but for all Sangamon County residents,” Ayers said.

Campbell worked for the sheriff’s office for more than 24 years as a deputy before retiring in 2016. He ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2014 but won four years later.

Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing Massey’s family, said in a statement that Campbell’s decision to retire is a “turning point.”

“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. “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.”

If convicted, Grayson faces sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery and two to five years for misconduct.

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Callahan reported from Indianapolis.