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Sheriff’s deputy who killed Sonya Massey should have raised flags after being discharged from the Army for drunk driving, experts say

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois sheriff’s deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonya Massey has been kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken-driving convictions during which he had a gun in his automotive, authorities said. But that hasn’t stopped multiple law enforcement agencies from giving him a badge.

Before he began his police profession, working six jobs over 4 years (the first three of which were part-time), 30-year-old Sean Grayson was convicted twice in a yr of drink-driving, which cost him his military service.

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

Grayson, who was fired, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and abuse of authority in the death of Massey, a 36-year-old black woman who called 911 a couple of suspect who had broken into her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty.

“Six jobs in four years should raise suspicions. And you could ask why he wasn’t hired full-time at any of those (part-time) jobs,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington think tank. “That, coupled with his DUI history, would be enough to investigate further whether he would fit the bill.”

Grayson, who enlisted in the Army in 2014, was charged with driving under the influence in Macoupin County, south of Sangamon County, after traffic stops on Aug. 10, 2015, and again on July 26, 2016.

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The first drunken driving conviction led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for “serious misconduct,” in response to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to debate personnel information, adding that Grayson had an unregistered weapon in his vehicle.

Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison confirmed that police found a gun in the center console, but Grayson was not charged with possession of a weapon because he was a resident of Fort Riley, Kansas. Kansas has a law to hold firearms openly.

Grayson was discharged on honorable terms, relatively than honorably, because he was charged by a civilian law enforcement agency and his military service was otherwise good.

His attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment Monday.

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Sean Smoot, chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, said a DUI charge doesn’t disqualify you from serving in law enforcement, but an employment agency can definitely take that into consideration.

“Some police departments wouldn’t hire someone with one DUI,” Smoot said. “I’m shocked that an agency would hire someone with two DUIs, but apparently a lot of agencies have.”

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, has called for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. “He has no intention of stepping down,” Campbell spokesman Jeff Wilhite said.

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A press release from Campbell’s office said the county merit board and state law enforcement board really helpful Grayson be certified as an officer, despite the DUI charges. Grayson also passed a drug test, a criminal background check, a psychological evaluation and a 16-week academy course.

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Before coming to Springfield, Grayson worked for a yr as a sheriff’s deputy in Logan County, simply to the northeast. According to a report obtained through a public records request, in November 2022, he was told he needed more training, including “high-stress decision-making classes,” after he did not comply with an order to stop a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph) before colliding with a deer.

When he applied to Logan, an employment report from Auburn, south of Springfield, where he had worked before, showed that although Grayson all the time showed up for work early, was willing to be trained, was open to criticism and had no disciplinary motion, he had trouble writing reports, was “not very good with evidence—he would leave things lying around the office” and was “a braggart.”

Logan County records also include complaints of misconduct by two people arrested by Grayson, including one wherein a lady who admitted to having drugs in a body cavity claimed Grayson gave her a glove and ordered her to remove the contraband in front of him and one other officer. She was later taken to the hospital to have it removed, and she or he claimed Grayson had forced his way through the curtain during the procedure. He denied each complaints and resigned from Logan County before the investigation was accomplished.

Body camera footage from the night of the shooting shows Grayson and one other officer finding no sign of anyone breaking into the apartment. They wait several minutes for Massey to reply, during which Grayson says the woman is dead inside, then impatiently calls out to her.

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Massey, who has a history of mental health issues, appears confused and says, “Don’t hurt me.” Grayson sometimes responds in a patronizing or impatient manner.

“His behavior before, during and after the incident indicates that this guy was erratic, and that’s a courtesy,” said Kalfani Ture, a former police officer who is now an assistant professor of criminology at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, and an instructor at the New York Police Department’s academy.

At Massey’s home, the video shows Grayson ordering a pot of water off the stove. Massey appears to position it near the sink. The two joke that Grayson has moved away from the “hot, steaming water,” and Massey inexplicably says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

This prompts Grayson to attract his gun. Massey apologizes and hides behind the counter, but when Grayson yells at her to drop the pot, she appears to select it up. Grayson shoots her thrice, hitting her in the face, and she or he makes no immediate attempts to offer medical attention because, “It’s a headshot.”

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“That’s not a characteristic of an officer. That’s a characteristic of someone who has a corrupt indifference to human life,” Ture said. “And this incident is not an aberration. Someone like that is pretty consistent in presenting that type of profile.”

Ture said Massey likely picked up the pan again because she was disoriented by the shouted orders. He moved too quickly to make use of lethal force — he had other options, including using a stun gun, chemical spray or easily subduing the petite woman, Ture said.

According to Wexler, drawing the gun only escalated the incident.

“He should have slowed down, talked it out, had a plan B and known where the door was to get out of the house, rather than putting himself in a situation where he had no other choice but to use deadly force, standing there, drawing his weapon and shouting orders,” Wexler said.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Crime

Author Essence Spotlight: Vanessa Miller “The Filling Station” – Essence

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“Author Spotlight” by Essence sheds light on the very best -selling writer of Vanessa Miller and her recent book “The Filing Station”

Author of the bestsellers Vanessa Miller He understands that a well -written and studied story has the facility to rework history. She is the writer of over 55 books, in addition to recognized bestsellers and. In her latest historical novel, which can be published on March 11, Miller pushes the layers from probably the most terrifying and hidden moments within the history of America, the Tulsa Race massacre. It gives insight into the resistance of black within the face of a destructive loss, emphasizes the displacement of black people from the estated land and the best way generational wealth has been systematically stolen from many communities for generations.

It is 1921, and the sisters Margaret and Evelyn have recently avoided devastation, which has just taken place in Greenwood, a black community in Oklahomie. They find shelter on a black station filling the threat On route 66 And it’s a paradise for them as black travelers to process their experiences during treatment and preparing for the reconstruction of their community. Miller recently talked to the term of this book and the heritage of making “safe spaces” in order that Czarni could have a spot to talk and breathe life back into themselves.

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In the news recentlyThere has been more evidence in regards to the Tulsa breed massacre, and Miller understands the importance of proper archiving history for future generations.

Hazard -filling station It is an actual place positioned on the historic route 66 in Luther in Oklahoma and it was an actual place where many black found shelter when their homes, corporations, churches and libraries were burned to the bottom.

“I started to study Hazard -filling stationAnd I knew that I could connect with what happened in Greenwood with the “protected marinade” of the idea at the filling station. What do you [we all] I have to understand that when I examined this, I discovered that it was the most terrifying crime ever committed against black slaves in America. But we are resistant people and we still enter. “

During the research of the book, Miller was shocked by silence, which was practiced by each black and white communities. “Over two days, the white crowd burned houses and firms, killed over 300 people and left hundreds of homeless people. And the proven fact that it was a story that was not talked about. People were silent and I imagine that they were silent due to fear. Many people in a white crowd were replaced by a sheriff in Tulsa. When there’s a system that’s against you, it’s difficult to talk. And a lot of their children didn’t know what happened in Tulsa until they grew up. Miller continued to share that each black and white families were silent because they desired to protect their families.

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There are sometimes narratives about deprivation of black civil rights throughout the history, but it is rather necessary to grasp that after providing the probabilities of black communities bloom and distinguished themselves perfectly. And although Black Wall Street can confirm this, Miller discovered black cities Wilmington, North Carolina– They prospered well and were mecca. For this reason, the cities were set on fire.

“Officials in Tulsa decided that they wanted to sell the land that belonged to native Americans, and decided that they no longer need this land that was promised native Americans because they want to earn money on it.” But officials who sold this land didn’t expect that the black people have a way of pondering to those areas, meet and construct their very own cities – they usually did. And the characters within the intimate will show these living people.

“There are only a few descendants of the live massacre, but when I created characters for this book, I received access Michelle Burdex and Greenwood Cultural Center to the archived interviews from Tulsa Massacre, which survived the massacre and their first person accounts. And they have these interviews on the wall while walking around the Greenwood Culture Center. And it was such a blessing to see them. ” Miller emphasized the importance of staying by heart, which is why each chapter and submission of the book incorporates a direct epigraph from the archives of the Greenwood Culture Center or Red Cross Relinal Report. These interviews and reports informed how Miller created every character and their experiences.

“It was very open. By reading the book, you will notice that the blacks have been forced to work with every relief received. The Red Cross Tulsa help report states that they provide relief for destructive tragedies, but this was the only time in which the city and officials did not do it, and it is important to understand why. “Miller said:” I really believe it was because they were black, and this report, as well as the mayor and other officials in Tulsa, said that Black were a servant of people class and that they would have to work on any financial relief. I thought that it is so important to place these epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, because I wanted people who read them to see what was happening during this period. Not only the story I tell, but I want you [the reader] To see this in real time, the real reality of people. “

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For those that wish to enter a historical novel, based loosely on real events, is a written work that immediately surrounds the reader right into a time and place that ought to never be removed. “This happened with Greenwood, but the beauty in this story is that every time they tried to stop them, they came back and arose.” Miller calls on a gene with and millennials in order that they don’t accept America’s history as a right.

“I really believe that those who do not know their history may be doomed to repeat it because they do not make contacts between what is happening in their daily lives and what has already happened in the past. And reading historical books and non-fiction books is a great way. “But his ability to present the tragedy of this terrifying incident with a flash of hope is distinguished. There isn’t any must fear the present generation, simply or vigilant.

“People gave us a plan if you just read what happened before. We already have a plan, which is why the book also has a message of hope. We have always looked at God. We have always believed on a better day and we fight for it. And that is why it was important to show Margaret’s fight with her faith in this book. After such devastation happened to you, it is easy to question your faith. And I needed her [Margaret] To leave this journey and start understanding God’s love for us, even in the face of man’s hatred for us. “

Vanessa is currently published by Harpercollins/Thomas Nelson. He lives in North Carolina along with her husband and family. She graduated from Capital University with an organizational communication diploma.

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Vanessa Miller’s It can be published on March 11.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Crime

An alleged serial killer responsible for 8.6% of Montgomery killings in 2024.

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Goey Charles

Goey Charles

The man from Alabama was arrested on Tuesday, February 26 and accused of allegedly killing no less than 14 people and shooting 29 others in Birmingham over the past one and a half years.

On his Facebook page, the Police Department in Birmingham announced in many posts that an arrest warrant was issued for a 22-year-old Damien McDaniel Fairfield for murders Fireman Birmingham Jordan MeltonIN Mia NicksonAND Anthony Lamar Love Jr.

In the subsequent post, the Police Department revealed that McDaniel was arrested with one other suspect in one of the deaths, 41-year-old Charles Nance from Pinson.

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WRBC 6 News announced that McDaniel was accused On 37 crimes it has five different shootings in three months in 2024. He is one of the few accused involved in a mass shooting at five points south and mass shooting at Trendsetters Lounge.

Before the last allegations, he was accused of killing 11 and shooting 29 people.

The police in Birmingham said that recent allegations of capital murder related To the killing of Nickson and love, there are matters of murder for rent. McDaniel is detained without bonds in the correction department in Alabama on the Kilby corrective plant.

“We were aware that further investigations were carried out, which were separate from pending matters,” said John Robbins, McDaniels in a press release, According to WVTM 13. “So we should not very surprised by additional fees.

“The defense team will not refrain from providing our client with vigorous defense, which our justice system requires. The defense team understands and appreciates the pain and suffering that the family and friends of all victims experienced and will continue to experience when these matters will act in court. We are not blind at this aspect of any case of murder. “

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According to al.comIf McDaniel is found guilty of 13 killings that took place in 2024, McDaniel shall be personally responsible for 8.6% of 152 violent deaths in Birmingham last 12 months.

Last 12 months, the police in Birmingham announced that McDaniel was accused of killing Diontronet Brown on September 19, and after the death of Tahj Booker, Carlos McCain, Anitra Holloman and Roderick Patterson at five points to the south of the mass shooting on September 21. Then, the subsequent day, Jamarcus McIntyre was killed and McDaniel was accused of death.

In October 2024, McDaniel was accused of killing Markeshia Gettings, Stevie McGhee, Angela Weatherspoon and Lerandus Anderson at The Trendsetter Lounge July 13, in addition to the death of Charlie Moore in his apartment on August 13.

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This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Crime

“Wags to Richens” was the perfect picture of the reality show, and then he became exploiting – essence

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Thanks to the kindness of Netflix/Tudum

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IN The latest reality Netflix series To follow the wives and girls of the best athletes and rappers, I checked all the boxes of the reality show quintessence: juicy rumors, suspicious readings, lover quarrels, beautiful but terrifying opinion of women and excellent men who support them. On the surface, this program had juice, but after I kept watched, I noticed that the story was plagued by contradictions and insensitivity to the race.

In the whole series, his bee queen, real estate broker and founder Allure Realty LLC, Sharelle RosadoIt proclaims to other women the importance of good popularity, especially when you want to succeed. We’ve all heard this idea before, but this concept becomes problematic when Rosado gets a colleague from the forged Lastonia “Stoni” Leviston’s Sexual tape against her. Leviston, the mother of rapper Rick Ross’s first child, is initially rejected by the group because of the scandal from sex tape greater than 10 years ago.

The discussion about Leviston’s sex tape was difficult to watch. While sitting with one other member of the forged Alexis Studemire, the former wife of the former NBA star and Olympian Amar’s Studemire, Leviston explains that the former partner has released a video that has sex without her consent as pornography as a pornography of revenge after they fell apart. While Rick Ross and 50 cents foughtFormer Leviston allegedly sent a video to the rapper, to which he then published a video on his website.

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In one of the early scenes of the series, Rosado admits that he doesn’t see how he spends time with Leviston because of sexual tape and accuses her of escort. Leviston violently denies the claims of the escort, but Rosado keeps the revenge of pornography over the forged of the forged feels disgusting. Black women are usually not only disproportionately exposed to victims Sexual offensesBut we reveal our perpetrators less often. Leviston undertook legal proceedings and wonAcquiring justice for a criminal offense against her. Instead, the series has a sensitive and sensitive topic and uses it for entertainment. She is forced to look weak and must consistently defend herself against something that was beyond her control. It is a miracle that she finished the season after she was treated poorly.

Stoni, from “Wags Netflix to wealth” thanks to the courtesy of Netflix/Tudum

And if the topic of popularity is such a fantastic matter, you may only wonder how the yerhnson “Ochocinco” yerb Rosado, who was engaged in athlete at the time, evaporates with him relationships, as if it was a reward or privilege. While the assumption of the series is that girls show their relationships with athletes and artists, in addition to a profession, the engagement of couple looked lower than perfect. It is tough to ignore bloody paintings that became popular after the retired footballer lost his fiancee Evelyn Lozada (also a star in VH1) in 2012-in the result he was cut off from Miami Dolfs.

Sharelle and Chad Ochocinco from Netflix “Wags to Richens” thanks to the kindness of Netflix/Tudum

The figure of Johnson was fully presented when he and Rosado sat down for dinner with their lawyers to discuss the prenup. When the lawyer Rosado presents the idea of ​​an infidelity clause, including a penalty of $ 500,000 in the event that Johnson cheats, he becomes clearly nervous and says: “It doesn’t make sense”, after that “it basically tells me that he is not ready for a wedding.” The funniest thing was that the clause has some grounds, on condition that Johnson was accused by other partners, including Rosado. At the time of my writing, he began eight children outside of marriage with many ladies. Did Rosado not take this into consideration when assessing his popularity, or does his fame slow him?

Don’t get me incorrect, I’m for ladies living a soft life, there’s nothing that black women deserve more. However, once you spend time defending and the fight for a person who doesn’t fight for you to such an extent that he becomes toxic, it is time to pull the plug. Just then, your good girls are in search of you and encourage you to search for changes. Unfortunately, Marand “MJAE” Johnson, the youngest of the group who divides children from Disturbing rapper Kodak BlackThey were left to take care of herself. Although the rapper never appears in the series, he absorbs the story of a young mother when he struggles with their relationship because of his constant cheating. The rapper also has Active drug problem And he was accused Just a few numbers assault and even kidnapping. Recently, Emcee was seen in Florida on the street, eating chicken, probably on drugs.

In the season, Johnson has its own entries with the law after she had a quarrel with the mother of other rapper’s children. Unfortunately, during the interview of confession, Johnson admits that if she had ever gone to prison, it could be an assault. This is the moment of the program that I might expect to enter advice or forged to organize an intervention to help her leave this dangerous environment. From what we, the viewers, lacked the sister’s sense of sister, which you’d often see with women’s forged. Ultimately, Johnson leaves her to handle, despite her crying for help.

Nothing on this series shocked me greater than seeing how Julianna “Yesjulz” Goddard appeared on my screen. The history of disrespect has an impact on social media Black community and aiming Black women. However, when the first one Kanye West An worker – publicly dismissed in 2024 for violating her NDA – was caught in front of the black -attacking camera and was broadcast, I knew that this series reached a brand new level.

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In the third episode, driving in a restaurant with a forged, Goddard is asked to join the table with Leviston, her best friend Gary, Johnson and a friend of the series Kene Danana. Before joining the Goddard table, Danair He conducted a discussion, rightly raising the racist popularity of Julz. When Goddard sits down, Johnson and Gary tell her that Danair calls her racist. Gary stands in Solidarity with Goddard, saying something in the melody, I’m black, and Goddard loves me, insinuating me despite the growing evidence against her, there isn’t a way that this woman who appeared on the show of swaying Cornrows. Danair stands 10 fingers and confronted with influential comments about black women. Goddard immediately becomes defensive and asks Danair, a black woman, which she does for her own culture – as if she wanted to compare and insinuate that she (Goddard) does more. Symptoms are mentioned, Goddard hits Danair, and they each go to blows.

Julz and Sadé from Netflix “Wags to Richens” thanks to the kindness of Netflix/Tudum

The difficult reality is that girls like Goddard will develop, because there’ll at all times be a bunch that permits them to support them. In the entire program, in confession and conversations, the team openly appreciates the accusation against Goddard, but decides to ignore them only because they didn’t witness them first hand. This way of pondering is dangerous – it allows opportunists to proceed using the community they use. When we don’t protect our spaces collectively, we strengthen these shapes, giving them tools to proceed dividing us. Are these women so desperately in the matter of white validation that they’re ready to let someone like Goddard sit at their table and feast at their very own expense?

This program isn’t easy to convene. I appreciate complex characters and a layered story story, but there’s a small border between the nuance drama and the reckless exploitation. When deeply sensitive problems, resembling abuse and racism, are reduced to the value of shock and spectacle – especially in a month of black history – this isn’t only irresponsible; This is harmful. At one point we must ask: who does this narrative really serve? And more importantly, at whose cost? If it’s at the cost of black, then the reality TV lover, like me, has no problem with changing the channel. We went an excessive amount of and we deserve significantly better.


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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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