Records show deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonia Massey worked for 6 agencies over 4 years

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A former sheriff’s deputy charged with murder within the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman slain in her Illinois home, was employed by a half-dozen police agencies since 2020, in keeping with state law enforcement records.

Sean Grayson’s profession included transient part-time stints at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth, in addition to full-time jobs at two sheriff’s offices, all in central Illinois.

Grayson, 30, who’s white, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and abuse of authority charges in reference to the July 6 slaying. He was released last week by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Massey called 911 to report a suspicious vagrant. Two deputies eventually showed up at her home in Springfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Sheriff’s body camera footage released Monday confirmed prosecutors’ earlier account of a tense moment by which Grayson shouted across the counter at Massey to placed on a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly stood up, and Grayson fired a gun at her. Massey was hit 3 times, the fatal shot grazing her in the pinnacle.

At a news conference Tuesday in Springfield, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Massey family, said the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the incident, (*4*) He said he didn’t know the scope of the investigation.

However, in an announcement, the Justice Department said it was (*6*) and said it “will continue to follow the criminal case.”

James Wilburn, Massey’s father, demanded the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell.

“I want to tell you the sheriff here is embarrassing,” Wilburn said. “This man (Grayson) should never have had a badge. And he should never have had a gun. He should never have had the opportunity to kill my child.”

A telephone message was left at Campbell’s office.

The Associated Press is in search of information from six agencies about Grayson’s employment history.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired on a part-time basis on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He was also hired on a part-time basis on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department.

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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, in keeping with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. His certification status is currently listed as suspended on the board’s website.

Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment.

Wilburn and Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton Tuesday morning on the Baptist Church.

“They understood that often the Sonya Masseys of the world do not have due process of law. And that they committed to saying that 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, which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the bill died within the Senate. The former goals to curb police misconduct, excessive use of force and racial bias in law enforcement, while the Voting Rights Act would require local jurisdictions to hunt federal approval before changing election laws.

“Every member of Congress needs to vote today to make sure no one else in the United States of America has to go through what we’re going through,” Wilburn said.

In an announcement Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said she joins 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 calling the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home by an officer sworn to protect and serve. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from so many people’s experiences – we have work to do to ensure our justice system lives up to its name.”

Massey’s oldest son, Malachi Hill Massey, 17, said he watched the start of the body camera footage of him shooting his mother but didn’t watch the remaining of it.

“I have no words to describe it,” Malachi Massey said.

Grayson was being held without bail within the Sangamon County Jail. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison for murder, 6 to 30 years for assault and a couple of to five years for misdemeanor battery.