Sonya Massey’s family was not immediately informed that her death was related to the involvement of a deputy sheriff

BJ Lutz, Angelica Sanchez and Heather Robinson

5 hours ago

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The attorney for the family of Sonya Massey, a Springfield woman who was killed by a deputy who responded to her 911 call, claims they were not immediately told that a deputy was involved in the shooting.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday that the Justice Department will launch an investigation into the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey this month and the way Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office officials handled the aftermath, a development he welcomed.

“The whole thing about apparently not being told the truth from the beginning,” Crump said at a news conference with some of Massey’s survivors.

Massey, 36, was killed in the early hours of July 6 after she called 911 to report a suspected burglar. In bodycam footage showing her final moments, Massey ducked and apologized to Deputy Sean Grayson seconds before he shot the Black woman three times in her home, taking a fatal blow to the head.

Grayson has since been fired from the department and indicted by an Illinois grand jury. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of office.

In the hours after Massey’s death, family members were not informed until much later that it was a deputy-involved shooting, Crump said, adding that he also received a call to dispatch reporting the shooting as self-inflicted.

“When I arrived on the scene, the officers told me it was under investigation and we knew she was having problems with her neighbor. Not once did they tell me an officer did it,” Crump said. “They never said it was a deputy-involved shooting.”

Massey’s family is also demanding that Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell resign for hiring Grayson in the first place. State records obtained by WCIA show that Grayson worked for six different law enforcement agencies over a four-year period and that he has two misdemeanor convictions for drunken driving.

County officials said they knew about the drunk driving cases because of required background checks, but added that to their knowledge Grayson had not been fired from any previous job.

“If it hadn’t been for the camera footage, they would have lied their way out of it. That’s why he has to resign,” Crump said.

In a statement to WGN, Sheriff Campbell simply said, “I will not resign.”

Statement from Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell:

The body-worn camera footage has now been released and the public can see what we saw: Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustified and reckless decision made by former Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson.

Grayson had other opportunities that he should have taken advantage of. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values ​​or training of our office. He will now face the judgment of the criminal justice system and will never work in law enforcement again. Ms. Massey needlessly lost her life and her family deserves answers. I trust the legal process will provide them.

This incident does not reflect the values ​​or actions of our law enforcement community. It was a tragic decision made by someone who had the training, resources and experience to know better. We are committed to maintaining a standard that will prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

Thank you very much.

Sheriff Jack Campbell