Illinois Sheriff Asks For ‘Forgiveness’ After Sonya Massey’s Fatal Shooting But Ignores Resignation Calls

Illinois sheriff Jack Campbell is asking for forgiveness on behalf of his department after his former employee, Sean Grayson, fatally shot Sonya Massey , who was 36 years old.

According to the Springfield State Journal-Register , Campbell issued an apology at Union Baptist Church in Springfield, which was hosting a listening session for the Department of Justice Community Relations Service on July 29.

“I stand here before you with my arms wide open and I ask for your forgiveness,” Campbell said at the session. “I ask (Donna Massey, Sonya’s mother) for forgiveness. I offer up no excuses.”

Attendees of Monday’s meeting included Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette . Representatives from the Springfield NAACP and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good were also in attendance.

Despite Grayson’s questionable employment history, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department hired him in 2023. Grayson worked at six police agencies in the past four years. And, in 2016, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for “serious misconduct,” according to Bossip.

“We failed. We did not do our jobs,” Campbell said. “We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya’s family and friends.”

On July 6 at around 1 a.m., Grayson fatally shot Massey, who called out police to report a possible intruder at her house. As Blavity reported, Grayson and his partner said Massey appeared to be “distraught and not thinking clearly” when they showed up. Bodycam footage shows both men entering Massey’s home to speak with her. The fatal shooting occurred shortly after when Grayson saw Massey grab what appeared to be a pot of boiling water. On July 18, Grayson plead not guilty after being charged with murder.

Springfield resident Sierra Helmer is among those demanding police accountability.

“ I should be able to call (them). They’re meant to protect and serve, but here in Springfield, apparently, as shown on camera, they harass and unfortunately kill,” Helmer told The State Journal-Register. “Sonya’s tragic death has sparked an outrage in me as a single Black woman raised by a single Black mother. As a Black woman, I’m scared. As a nurse, my heart mourns.”

Some community members called for Campbell’s resignation, but he insisted that he “will not abandon the sheriff’s office at this most critical moment.”

He added, “That would solve nothing.”