Illinois deputy indicted in Sonya Massey shooting has Kansas military connection

KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. If you have a story idea to share, send Alyssa an email .

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The police shooting death of Sonya Massey from Springfield, Illinois, has been in the national spotlight.

Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson was fired and indicted by a grand jury on aggravated battery with a firearm, official misconduct and multiple counts of murder.

Grayson's former employer, the Kincaid Police Department, shared documents with KSHB 41 revealing he was discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct during his year-and-a-half service in Fort Riley.

KSHB 41 has requested additional records from the military and national archives to find out why.

He was let go from Kincaid Police Department because he refused to live within a 10-mile radius.

The former deputy was employed by six agencies since 2020.

Reviewing the footage

John Hamilton, a retired Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department major and associate professor emeritus of Criminal Justice at Park University, met with KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson to review body camera footage that showed the moments before and after the shooting.

He spent a total of 27 years in law enforcement.

KSHB 41

We started at the beginning. Massey made a 911 call on July 6 for a possible prowler.

The 36-year-old told deputies she "heard somebody outside."

Body camera footage shows officers telling Massey they checked around the house and backyard and did not find anyone.

Hamilton thinks the interaction could have ended there.

"I think they were fine addressing the nature of the call — a prowler," he said. "They looked around the house; they told the lady they looked around the house; they saw nothing. They did ask her then if she was OK and needed anything else. She said 'no.' There’s a part that can say they made the call for service and successfully served the individual. At that point in time, I think it would’ve been fine procedurally. If you need anything else, hear anything else, call us back."

Ben Crump Law via AP

Minutes later, deputies went inside of the home.

Grayson asked Massey to get her identification while another deputy told her to turn off the water boiling on her stove.

Hamilton did not agree with that approach.

"I'm never sending somebody toward anything that might lead them to an area with something that could harm me," he said.

The situation escalated from there.

As Massey picked up a pot of boiling water, she told Grayson: "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

Grayson yelled, "You better f*** not or I'll shoot you in the f*** face."

He continued, "Drop the f*** pot."

Massey apologizes and drops to the floor. Grayson shot and killed her.

Hamilton knows officer training is different depending on the agency and size.

After watching the shooting and immediate response that followed from the deputies, he noticed standard protocol was not followed.

"If you do shoot, go render aid," Hamilton said. "His partner indicated rendering aid. His comment was, 'Oh, it's a head shot — no reason to do it.' That's not how we're trained."

The retired police major also questioned why the deputy did not try to use non-lethal force or choose different words.

"He could've given the commands without drawing the weapon. 'Put the pot down; drop the pot.' Calm voices make a difference. You don't want to get hurt, and we don't want to get hurt. I’m worried you’ll drop the water on you, and I don’t want you to get burned," Hamilton said.

Hamilton believes there were many ways the 911 call from Massey should have ended and all of his critics go back to foundational training.

"There were just other opportunities available and felt like it just didn't have to happen," he said.

Mental Health

De-escalation was mentioned by Hamilton while reviewing the body camera footage.

Deputies asked Massey about her mental health because it appeared she may have been having some challenges.

That is part of the reason co-responder programs are embedded in many police departments, especially throughout Johnson County.

The program places a mental health clinician from the Johnson County Mental Health Center in Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Lenexa, Northeast Johnson County cities, Shawnee, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Olathe and Overland Park.

Co-responders intervene to prevent unnecessary arrests, decrease trips to the emergency room and respond on scene with a law enforcement officer on calls where behavioral health is identified as a contributing factor. They also conduct follow-up calls and outreach.

Johnson County Mental Health co-responders went along on 3,563 calls to 911 in Johnson County in 2023.

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