Illinois sheriff whose deputy shot Sonya Massey says it will take rest of his career to regain trust

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — The Illinois sheriff whose deputy shot Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 for help said Thursday that it will take the rest of his professional life to restore trust in his agency.

Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson Massey murdereda 36-year-old Black woman, over a pot of hot water on July 6. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sheriff Jack Campbell said he was disturbed by the bodycam video that shows Grayson, who is white, shooting Massey just below the eye.

“We will certainly spend the rest of my career mending these fences and building bridges to the community to rebuild trust,” Campbell said in his office in downtown Springfield, just a few blocks from Abraham Lincoln’s historic home. “When they ask us for help, they expect us to help. Sean Grayson did not help Sonya Massey. And he is the only one responsible for his actions.”

Grayson, 30, is being held without bail charges of first-degree murderaggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

Grayson and another officer went to Massey’s home in the early morning to investigate a suspected burglar.

Inside the home, there was a light conversation when Grayson ordered a pot of water to be removed from a flame on the stove, according to bodycam video. Massey, who struggled with mental health issuescalmly said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” at which point Grayson pulled out his 9mm pistol, threatened her with a shot to the face, and ordered her to drop the pan before he fired three times.

Outside experts and Campbell’s internal investigation found that Grayson had several nonlethal options if he felt threatened by Massey or the pot of hot water. Campbell said Grayson was trained in crisis intervention and mental health crisis response and that there had been no complaints of use of force against him.

“We don’t understand why he went out of control. He acted outside the scope of his authority as a police officer, outside our policies and procedures, outside the law,” Campbell said. “It’s something we live with and try to figure out every day. We’ll probably never know why he did that.”

Campbell, 60, who is serving his second term as sheriff, is a third-generation Sangamon County officer. His great-uncle, Hugh Campbell, was sheriff from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1971 to 1975. His father, Jim, rose to sergeant. Jack Campbell retired in 2016 after two decades as a deputy sheriff. He was defeated in a campaign for sheriff in 2014 but won in 2018.

Massey’s family has repeatedly called for Campbell’s resignation, saying Grayson should never have been given a badge. He was discharged from the army ten years ago for the first of two drunk driving convictions within a year and his employment history — six police jobs in four years — raised questions.

But Campbell, who could not recall his interview with Grayson before he was hired in May 2023, said drunken driving does not disqualify someone from law enforcement and he was unaware of any complaints about Grayson from his previous jobs, including a disciplinary case with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office in which he ignored an order to stop a high-speed chase. He was certified by state law enforcement authorities, and Campbell put him through the standard 16-week training academy, even though his previous training would have been sufficient.

The sheriff was present at a listening session with the community this week and apologized to a hostile crowd, saying, “I stand before you today with my arms wide open and I ask for your forgiveness.” But he reiterated his intention to remain in the position.

The murder of Massey has again drawn attention to cases of Black people murdered in their homes by the police. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department has 195 employees, including 72 sworn officers. The office said 10.25 percent of them are members of minorities, but did not provide a breakdown. Of the county’s 193,500 residents, Census figures show 14 percent are black, 3 percent are Latino and 2.4 percent are Asian.

When asked whether the composition of his department reflects the community, Campbell said, “What I think is we’re absolutely committed to getting those numbers up.” There is an active recruitment team of minority deputies, and department representatives regularly reach out to community groups seeking candidates.

Since Massey’s killing, family, friends, supporters and activists across the country say black women are reluctant to call police for help. Her mother, Donna Massey, said in a 911 call the day before Sonya Massey’s death that her daughter was having a mental health crisis. But the elder Massey said she didn’t want responding officers to hurt her. “I’m afraid of the police,” she said.

“My message is we’re still the same sheriff’s office. The person who did this is in jail. He’s going to be tried in the criminal justice system,” Campbell said. “And my job now is to hire people and train them to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”