Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) on Wednesday called for the sheriff of Sangamon County to resign after one of his deputies fatally shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, last month.
Pritzker said Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell had not adequately explained why he hired ex-deputy Sean Grayson, who had worked at six departments in four years. The governor also noted that Campbell has not introduced reforms in his department after the shooting and said it was “inexcusable” that Campbell hadn’t met with Massey’s family.
Grayson, 30, killed Massey last month inside her home while she was handling a pot of water. He was charged with first-degree murder, official misconduct and aggravated battery with a weapon on July 17. Campbell fired Grayson from the department the same day.
“A full month has passed since the murder of Sonya Massey. In that time Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell has had ample opportunity to respond with conviction and purpose to questions about his hiring of the perpetrator, Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson, and about reforms he would propose for his department to avoid this from happening again,” Pritzker said in a statement. “The community remains in fear that calling the Sheriff’s Office when they feel endangered will lead to another murder of an innocent resident.”
“Rather than waiting for others to propose reform of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Campbell should have taken his leadership role more seriously,” the governor’s statement continued.
In his own statement on Wednesday afternoon, Campbell pushed back, calling Pritzker’s comments “political maneuvering” during a tragic event. He said that all deputies in the sheriff’s office “feel betrayed by one of their own” and that he had requested to meet with Massey’s family on four separate occasions.
“The sheriff’s office is willing to modify our hiring practices in order to prevent an incident like this from occurring again. However, before changes can be made, it is important to identify the problem,” Campbell said.
“We have used a process that we believe is consistent with statewide standards. If these standards are deficient, we would advocate a change at all necessary levels.”
On July 6, Grayson and another deputy responded to Massey’s home after an emergency call about a possible prowler. Body-camera footage shows the two deputies questioning Massey outside of her home before eventually entering and asking for her identification.
Once inside her home, according to the footage, Grayson told Massey to turn off the stove because he did not want a “fire to start.” When Massey went into the kitchen to turn it off, she picked up a pot of water that had been on the burner. The other deputy moved backward, and Massey asked him what he was doing.
The deputy said he was moving “away from her hot and steaming water,” and stepped back.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said.
The deputy appeared confused, and she repeated her statement. Grayson then drew his weapon and threatened to shoot her. “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.
Massey, still in the kitchen, said “sorry” and crouched down with the pot in her hand. Grayson fired three shots from the living room.
Campbell told CBS News that Grayson “had all the training he needed” and “just didn’t use it.”
“This was a rogue individual that acted outside the scope of his authority,” he told the outlet.
Audio released last week indicates that Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, called 911 the day before the shooting and reported that her daughter had been suffering from mental health issues.