A downstate sheriff whose deputy officer shot and killed 36-year-old Sonya Massey in her Springfield-area home last month announced his retirement Friday following calls for his resignation from critics including Gov. JB Pritzker.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said he’s been “proactive and transparent” in presenting the facts of the shooting to the public and continued to place blame for Massey’s killing on Sean Grayson, the deputy who is charged with murder in Massey’s death and was fired from the sheriff’s office.
But Campbell said the political climate has made it “nearly impossible” for him to continue in his job.
“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as sheriff,” Campbell said in a statement. “The health of me and my family, the sheriff’s office, and our community has to be my priority.”
His retirement will be effective no later than Aug. 31, according to the statement.
For weeks, Campbell, a Republican elected to his post in 2018, resisted calls to resign. In recent days, Campbell said he was “fully prepared” to resume his role as sheriff, dismissing calls to step down from Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, both Democrats, as “political maneuvering during a tragic event.”
But on Friday, Campbell said there were people who wanted him to “pay the price” for Grayson’s actions, “even threatening that I pay that price with my life, my family’s lives or the lives of my deputies.”
“We will only persevere together as a community if we turn down the temperature and resolve to do better,” Campbell said. “We must honor the life of Sonya Massey by ensuring that no one else falls victim to such tragic and senseless action.”
A statement from Pritzker’s office said the governor “hopes a fresh start with new leadership will usher in a new era of reform and rebuild the trust lost between the Sangamon County community and the sheriff’s office.”
Massey’s killing has led to protests across the country, including in Springfield and Chicago, and renewed a national conversation over the use of deadly force by police against Black people.
The Sangamon County sheriff’s office was the sixth Illinois police department Grayson, 30, had worked for in less than four years. Before he went into law enforcement, Grayson had two DUIs on his record in nearby Macoupin County.
Records show before the Sangamon County sheriff’s office hired Grayson last year, the office spoke with some of the law enforcement agencies that previously employed him and those agencies questioned his abilities as an officer, saying he needed more training. Campbell downplayed that issue in a previous statement saying “this is not unusual for deputies with Grayson’s experience,” and that he underwent a 16-week training for new and lateral deputies when he was hired in Sangamon County.
On July 6, Grayson and another deputy officer responded to a 911 call about a possible prowler outside Massey’s home in an unincorporated area outside of Springfield. When Grayson, who is white, and the other deputy officer arrived, Massey, who was Black, took a few minutes to answer the door and appeared confused. Her family has said she had mental health issues.
The two officers said they didn’t find anyone around her home. Inside, a conversation ensued over a pot of boiling water on Massey’s stove.
According to body camera footage, Massey said, “Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” before Grayson angrily replied, “You better (expletive) not. I swear to God. I’ll (expletive) shoot you right in your (expletive) face.”
Grayson then demanded that Massey drop the pot before shooting her. The Sangamon County coroner’s office said she died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Grayson was ordered held in custody about two weeks after the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
