On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for the resignation of Sheriff Jack Campbell, whose deputy fatally wounded Sonya Massey in her home last month after the Black woman called 911 for help, the AP reports. “The sheriff has failed,” Pritzker said. “He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff who has been fired from other departments.” Pritzker said that Campbell has also not outlined necessary reforms and he has not met with the Massey family. Campbell’s deputy, 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 hired Grayson for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department in May 2023 and fired him on July 17 for violating use-of-force standards by shooting Massey instead of taking non-lethal action.
There is no evidence Grayson was fired from any previous job. Yet Grayson’s career history 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. Campbell signaled Wednesday that he would stay on the job. “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,” he said, noting that he has requested meetings with the family four times through family-designated intermediaries, but none has been accepted. Pritzker contends that the Massey family wants to meet with Campbell but hasn’t been able to.
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