Sheriff expresses remorse but refuses to resign after Sonya Massey killing

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell dismissed calls for his resignation after a deputy he hired in the department killed an unarmed Black woman in her home while responding to her 911 call.

Campbell spoke at a “community healing and listening session” in an Illinois church on Monday, acknowledging responsibility for the killing, which was caught on body cam video, but stopping short of promising personal accountability.

"I'm going to say something right now I've never said in my career before: we failed," Campbell said, per ABC News. "We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya’s family and friends. We failed the community. I stand here today before you with arms wide open to ask for forgiveness.”

Massey, who was killed by Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson on July 6, was complying with Grayson’s request to remove a pot of boiling water from the stove when he shot her three times.

Grayson, who was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct, has pleaded not guilty after being dropped by the department’s local police union.

“Sonya Massey – I speak her name and I'll never forget it,” Campbell said, but he explained to community members that his resignation, he believed, wouldn’t do any good.

Calls for Campbell’s resignation during a Chicago rally came from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family. Reverand Al Sharpton and other community members are also pushing for him to step down.

“When I heard and saw the video, I was as outraged as I was when I saw the video of George Floyd,” Sharpton said in a Tuesday speech. “It is the negligence of this government’s response to all of these killings that created the climate that led to Sonya.”

Grayson, who worked for at least five law enforcement agencies in the years leading up to his employment in Sangamon County, was dismissed from the US Army for serious misconduct before he was hired.