Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said he’s “disappointed” with the answers he’s hearing from a downstate sheriff over why his agency hired the deputy who shot and killed 36-year-old Sonya Massey in her Springfield-area home.
The shooting of Massey last month by former Sangamon County sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson has led to protests in Springfield, Chicago and across the country and renewed a national conversation over the use of deadly force by police against Black people.
Grayson has been fired and charged with murder in Massey’s killing, and the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.
At an unrelated news conference on Tuesday, Pritzker criticized the information being released about the shooting from Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who at a public meeting in Springfield last week said his office “failed Sonya’s family and friends” but that he wouldn’t resign.
“The way in which this deputy sheriff was hired, the background, should have been … taken into account. The way he was hired is an enormous question mark that still needs to be made transparent. How did the sheriff end up hiring this person, must have known their background, must have,” Pritzker said, without naming Campbell.
“I mean, no one hires somebody without checking out the hiree’s background, and so I have a lot of questions, and I’m so far disappointed with the answers that I’m hearing from the sheriff,” the governor said. “But I think that the community is reacting the way that I think is appropriate, protesting, making their voice heard, asking for change.”
The Sangamon County sheriff’s office was the sixth Illinois police department Grayson had worked for in less than four years, according to records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Court records also show that in the last decade, but before he went into law enforcement, Grayson has two DUIs on his record in nearby Macoupin County.
Campbell on Tuesday did not respond to a request for comment on Pritzker’s remarks.
Included in Grayson’s personnel records provided by the Kincaid Police Department, where he worked part time, is a document showing that he was discharged from military service for serious “misconduct.” The Associated Press, citing a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that one of Grayson’s DUIs led to his discharge from the Army in 2016.
When Grayson applied to be a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, a psychologist who evaluated him said the job candidate “appears to be a suitable fit for the position” and “likes structure and routines.” But the psychologist also said Grayson “scored low on the cognitive assessment.”
“It will take him longer to learn, process and apply new material when compared to others,” the psychologist indicated.
Records also show the Sangamon County sheriff’s office spoke with other law enforcement agencies in the Springfield area where Grayson had worked, and that those agencies questioned his abilities as an officer.
A co-worker of Grayson’s at the Logan County sheriff’s office indicated that Grayson “is a good deputy but he believes he needs more extensive training,” according to the records.
One of Grayson’s references, according to the records, was a former Sangamon County deputy whose daughter is dating Grayson. The former deputy “highly” recommended Grayson, describing him as “a mellow, non-confrontational person who has good communication skills.”
In statements released last week, Campbell addressed Grayson’s hiring.
“Normally, I seek such references and give more credence to those from individuals I trust and know to have integrity,” Campbell said. “Their insights are invaluable in making informed hiring decisions.”
Campbell also downplayed comments from prior employers saying Grayson “needed more training.”
“This is not unusual for deputies with Grayson’s experience, and is standard procedure for Sangamon County deputies,” Campbell said. “Grayson was subsequently sent to a 16-week academy training, a requirement for all new and lateral transfer deputies in our office.”
According to the records, Campbell also said that “no other law enforcement agency reported problems with Grayson before we hired him,” though during his time with the Logan County sheriff’s office, in 2022, Grayson got into a high-speed chase in the city of Lincoln before hitting a deer. According to one of his supervisors, Grayson “failed to show due caution while driving through stop intersections.”
The records showed that supervisor interviewed Grayson after the incident and indicated there were discrepancies between Grayson’s report and the video, and recommended more training.
Deputies on July 6 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 another deputy officer arrived, Massey, who is Black, took a few minutes to answer the door and appeared confused. The two officers said they had not found 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 pointed his gun at her, asking her to drop the pot of water. Massey said “I’m sorry” and ducked, according to the footage, and Grayson soon after fired three shots at her. According to the Sangamon County coroner, Massey, whose family indicated she had mental health issues, died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Grayson was ordered detained in custody about two weeks after the shooting. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
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