(RepublicanReport.org) – On July 6, deputies in Illinois arrived at the home of Sonya Massey after she called them to report her belief that an intruder had entered her home. After searching outside the property, the police entered Ms. Massey’s house and asked her for identification. She then moved to the kitchen to remove a pot of hot water from the stove when Deputy Sean Grayson ordered her to drop the pot. He then shot the woman in the face, killing her. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and other charges.
More About the Officer
According to Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board records, Grayson worked for four different police departments and two sheriff’s offices in the past four years. In fact, his positions at three of those police departments happened within one year — 2021. The records did not give many specifics as to his reason for leaving.
Two places listed his reason as “other,” one stated that Grayson refused to live within a certain distance of the Village of Kincaid, and three others stated he “resigned.” After the shooting, he was fired from the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office. All of his jobs were in Illinois, and so far, there has been no news of any previous disciplinary actions against him from his employers before Massey’s murder.
The victim’s father, James Wilburn, wondered how he even secured a job with the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office, given his employment history. He indicated that the spattering of jobs over such a short time period should have been a red flag — and would’ve been if the officer was Black. Wilburn also called for Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell’s badge, stating he should’ve never given Grayson a gun or an “opportunity to kill [his] child.” Campbell said he wouldn’t resign.
More Details
Body cam footage released by the Illinois State Police showed the moments leading up to the shooting. Grayson warned the woman he would shoot her if she didn’t drop the pot of water and fired off at least two rounds into the victim soon afterward. His partner reportedly wanted to get a med kit to tend to the victim, but Grayson indicated the effort was useless because he took “a head shot.” The other deputy tended to her anyway.
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said the evidence showed that the now-former deputy was not “justified in his use of deadly force.” While the investigation is still ongoing, Grayson is currently facing murder charges in addition to aggravated battery and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty.
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