Answering a reporter’s question during a press conference on Wednesday morning, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department for hiring the deputy who killed Sonya Massey.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Wednesday for the resignation of the sheriff whose deputy fatally wounded Sonya Massey in her home last month after the Black woman called 911 for help.
Pritzker, a Democrat, said Republican Jack Campbell should step down because “the sheriff has failed.”
Sean Grayson, 30, faces three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the July 6 shooting death of Massey, 36. Campbell, who hired Grayson for the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department in May 2023, reiterated his intent Wednesday to stay in the job.
“He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff who has been fired from other departments," Pritzker said of Campbell at an event in Chicago. "He failed to put forward reforms that clearly need to be made, training and other reforms and still has failed to meet with the Massey family.”
There is no evidence Grayson was fired from any previous job.
Grayson has come under scrutiny because — prior to becoming a law enforcement officer — he was kicked out of the Army a decade ago for the first of two drunken driving arrests within a year. His law enforcement career included six jobs in four years, during which he received some reviews that indicated he needed more training and had one disciplinary problem.
Grayson was fired on July 17 for violating use-of-force standards by shooting Massey rather than taking non-lethal action when he felt threatened by a pan of hot water she was holding, according to authorities.
Local
The sheriff signaled Wednesday that he would stay on the job.
“I was overwhelmingly elected to lead the sheriff’s office through both good times and bad,” Campbell said in a statement. “I am fully prepared to continue leading my office and serving the residents of Sangamon County through this difficult period, ensuring we learn from this tragedy and work toward a better future.”
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Pritzker, who with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton met with Massey's family two weeks ago, faulted Campbell for not sitting down with family members.
“At a minimum, listen to them, hear them, and then hopefully, take action,” Pritzker said.
Campbell said he has requested meetings with the family four times through family-designated intermediaries, but none has been accepted. He said he would still like to meet.
At an appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Illinois State Fair, Pritzker doubled down on his criticism of the sheriff. He said Campbell has refused to answer questions, despite the sheriff's office establishing a web page strictly for answering news media questions about the case and releasing documents and conducting a slew of 15-minute interviews with various media organizations last week.
The governor said Campbell should have talked to the chiefs of departments previously employing Grayson, but documents Campbell released show he did. And the state Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board certified Grayson for duty six times.
Pritzker also said the Massey family has said publicly that they would like to meet with Campbell.
“If he’s reached out, he hasn’t done a very good job because the Massey family hasn’t had the meeting that they’ve asked," Pritzker said.
An emailed request for comment was sent to Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer who is representing the Massey family.
Campbell also said he is willing to modify hiring practices but because Sangamon County follows statewide standards, necessary changes should be made statewide.
“I just want to know and he has been unwilling to answer the questions — if he’d been willing to do these things, then act, he’s had a month,” Pritzker said. “There would be a lot less frustration, a lot more, perhaps a sense of safety. But none of that was done by the sheriff.”
Campbell said his office is gathering facts necessary “to make intelligent decisions and to avoid making changes that are unlikely to lead to meaningful results.”
“I have worked tirelessly to make all the facts available to the public as swiftly and transparently as possible,” Campbell said.
The sheriff's office “continues to grieve for Sonya Massey and her family,” Campbell said. “While our grief cannot compare to the pain of the family, our office is trying to heal from within — all employees of the sheriff's office feel betrayed by one of their own."
___
Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed from Chicago.
