Deputy Who Killed Sonya Massey Worked At 6 Police Agencies In 4 Years

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The central Illinois sheriff’s deputy who shot a woman in the face after she called police for help worked at six law enforcement agencies over less than four years and pleaded guilty twice to driving under the influence, records show.

Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson was terminated and charged in the death of Sonya Massey following the July 6 shooting. He faces three counts of first-degree murder as well as charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct after Massey’s final moments — violent as deputies drew their guns and shouted expletive-filled orders at her — were captured on police body cameras.

“There was all these red flags, and yet they still made him a deputy in this county,” Massey’s father, James Wilburn, said, according to WCIA.

Since August 2020, Grayson, 30, had worked stints as a part-time officer in Pawnee, Kincaid and Virden as well as full-time jobs for agencies in Auburn, Logan County and Sangamon County, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Grayson was let go by Kincaid authorities because he refused to live within 10 miles of the village, according to NBC News, which reported that he left Virden to become a full-time officer and that he resigned from the Auburn department. Prior to his law enforcement career, he was an Army mechanic, according to NBC.

Grayson was also discharged from the Army for "misconduct (serious offense)," ABC News reported. He served for one year, nine months and 19 days before he was discharged, according to the outlet.

Grayson was charged with driving under the influence in 2015 and 2016, and pleaded guilty both times, Macoupin County court records show, although a separate count of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher was dismissed from the 2015 case.

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office was aware of the driving under the influence charges when the agency hired Grayson but did not know of any excessive force complaints from his previous police jobs, WCIA reported.

A Change.org petition calling for an investigation into the office’s hiring practices and seeking the resignation of Sheriff Jack Campbell had more than 3,000 signatures as of late Wednesday.

Massey called 911 around 1 a.m. about a possible prowler at her home, and Grayson was among the deputies who responded. Massey was moving a pot off the stove during what had been a generally friendly visit when one of the deputies told her he was stepping “away from your hot steaming water,” according to the body camera footage.

“Away from my hot steaming water?” she replied. “Oh, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

The mood then shifted drastically, as Grayson threatened to shoot Massey in the face, the footage shows. She apologized and ducked behind a counter as the deputies both drew guns and shouted at her to drop the pot that she had been holding, which she appeared to have left near the sink area of her kitchen counter when she ducked. She then popped back up and was seen holding what appeared to be the pot as three shots were heard and water was visible on the kitchen floor.

If convicted, Grayson faces prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery, and two to five years for misconduct.