Deputy Worked In 6 Departments In 4 Years Before Killing Sonya Massey

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Illinois, on July 6, 2024. Footage released Monday, July 22, reveals a chaotic scene in which Grayson shoots Massey in the face in her own home after she called 911 for help.

Sean Grayson — the Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with murder after he shot Sonya Massey in her apartment while she wielded only a pot of water — worked six law enforcement jobs over the past four years, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving under the influence, and was discharged from the Army for “serious misconduct.”

Now Massey’s family wants answers on how Sangamon County came to hire him and put a gun in his hands.

Grayson, 30, was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder by a grand jury on July 17. He and another Sangamon County deputy responded to Massey’s home after she called about a possible intruder. The local district attorney’s office released a 36-minute body camera video on Monday that showed Massey, a Black woman, unarmed and ducking for cover moments before Grayson shot her in the head.

Massey’s family says Grayson should not have been working for the department due to his past. “There were all these red flags, and yet they still made him a deputy in this county,” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, said at her funeral .

Grayson worked part-time with the Pawnee Police Department from Aug. 11, 2020 to July 26, 2021, and then took another part-time job with the Kincaid Police Department from Feb. 4, 2021 to May 18, 2021, according to records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Two days later, Grayson started part-time with the Virden Police Department on May 20, 2021. Then, on July 20, 2021, he started working full-time with the Auburn Police Department. After leaving Virden in December and Auburn the following May, Grayson worked full-time with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office beginning in May 2022. He left in April 2023 and started working with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May of that same year, records show.

Grayson had no prior documented use-of-force complaints while working for Sangamon County or other departments, the sheriff’s office told HuffPost in a statement.

He did, however, plead guilty to misdemeanor offenses for driving under the influence in 2015 and 2016, according to online court records.

The first incident was on Aug. 15, 2015, when the Virden Police Department arrested Grayson for DUI and he pleaded guilty. He was charged with a DUI again the next year in July after he was arrested by the Macoupin Sheriff’s Department, according to charging documents obtained by HuffPost.

Grayson was also discharged from the Army for serious misconduct, according to Illinois Public Media . IPM reported that Army officials declined to release any details about the misconduct, citing Defense Department policy.

James Wilburn, father of Sonya Massey, speaks to reporters in Springfield, Ill. on Monday, July 22, 2024. A former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy has been charged with murder after shooting Massey inside her home while responding to a 911 call on July 6.

On July 6, Grayson and an unidentified deputy questioned Massey in her home, asking for her identification. When Massey went to the kitchen to turn off a boiling pot of water, the other deputy moved back and said he was moving “away from your hot steaming water.”

From the kitchen, Massey responded: “I rebuke you, in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson, standing in the living room, then escalated the encounter.

“You better fucking not, or I swear to God, I’ll shoot you in your motherfucking face,” Grayson told Massey while putting his hand on his weapon.

He immediately drew the weapon, and Massey, still in the kitchen and away from the deputies, ducked and raised her hands. “Ok, I’m sorry!” Massey said to Grayson.

Grayson fired three shots, killing her.

Massey’s killing sparked national outrage. President Joe Biden expressed he was “heartbroken” for Massey’s children and entire family.

“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives,” Biden said in a statement on X.

“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”

Massey’s father called for Sheriff Jack Campbell’s resignation during a press conference on Tuesday.

“I will say again, I am calling for the sheriff’s resignation. Because I think it is a culture to treat this family this bad,” Wilburn said.

“If it were not for this camera footage, we as a people, they would have lied their way right out of this. So he needs to resign.”

The sheriff’s office released a statement the day Grayson was indicted on murder charges and stated that his actions that night did not meet the standards practiced at the department. He was additionally charged with official misconduct and aggravated assault with a firearm.

“First and foremost, my heart breaks for the family and friends of Sonya Massey. This is a tragic incident, and we mourn with them and the community,” the sheriff’s office said in a July 17 statement following the completion of the investigation.

“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards. Therefore, Sean Grayson’s employment with the Sheriff’s Office has been terminated.”

Grayson was taken into custody that same day.

Sangamon County District Attorney John Milhiser’s office said it had determined that “the evidence did not support a finding that former Deputy Sean Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force, and the case was presented to a Sangamon County Grand Jury.”

Massey’s shooting sparked protests as the local community demanded police reform and justice for her death. Grayson remains in custody with an arraignment hearing set for Aug. 26, according to court records.