DOJ ‘reviewing circumstances’ of Sonya Massey shooting involving former Sangamon County police officer Sean Grayson

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday night that it is reviewing the “circumstances” surrounding the fatal shooting of an unarmed black woman by a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy.

Benjamin Crump, a renowned civil rights attorney representing the woman’s family, said at a news conference Tuesday that the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the gunshot death of Sonya Massey, 36.

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“This is the worst video of a police shooting ever,” Crump said.

Massey called 911 to report that someone was walking around outside her home in the early morning hours of July 6. About 30 minutes later, responding officers reported that shots had been fired and that Massey had been struck by gunfire.

Former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, 30, was charged last week with first-degree murder. He is being held pending trial. Grayson was fired after his arrest. Bodycam video of the incident was released Monday.

A Justice Department spokesperson issued a statement to Capitol News late Tuesday night: “The Department of Justice is aware of and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death of Ms. Sonya Massey and extends its condolences to her family and loved ones.”

The video shows that after checking the home for intruders, police enter. Massey, who was wearing nightclothes, asks to get a pot from the stove that was heating an unknown liquid. As the unidentified officer who responded with Grayson walks away, Massey says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson, who is standing in the living room, threatens to shoot her in the face and pulls out his gun.

Massey sinks under a counter separating them, throws up her hands and apologizes. She stands up again and appears to be holding the overturned pot. Grayson fires three shots, including a fatal shot to Massey’s head.

Grayson first became a police officer in 2020, less than a year after his license was revoked for driving under the influence, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

In his personnel file from his first employer, the Pawnee Police Department, Police Chief Barclay Harris told ILETSB that Grayson had no convictions for any felonies, misdemeanors or sex offenses.

Harris and Pawnee leaders declined to comment through their attorneys.

Grayson also indicated on his application that he had received a general discharge from the Army in 2016. He moved between jobs, working at a gym, as a groundskeeper and eventually as a security guard at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, the same hospital where Massey would die four years later.

The village of Pawnee hired Grayson as a part-time patrol officer in 2020.

After that he was sent to training.

In the part-time basic law enforcement course, officers train four days a month, usually over two weekends, said Anthony Cobb, ILETSB deputy director. Half of the course is taught online and typically takes nine months.

Grayson began his career with the Kincaid Police Department but left three months later when he joined the Virden Police Department in May 2021.

He worked part-time at Virden for seven months.

In 2022, after seven months out of law enforcement, the Auburn Police Department hired Grayson full-time. He completed the transition course, but stayed at Auburn for only two months. ILETSB records showed that Grayson resigned.

Grayson joined the Logan County Sheriff’s Department in May 2022. He remained there for 11 months before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May 2023.

Capitol News Illinois requested personnel records from the Logan County Sheriff’s Department and the Auburn and Kincaid police departments, but as of Tuesday, no records had been provided.

While driving under the influence is not a disqualifying offense under ILETSB rules, Macoupin County court records show that Grayson was also charged with driving under the influence in 2015 and 2016.

A 2015 Virden police report revealed he had a firearm and marijuana in his car when he was arrested for driving under the influence.

In the 2015 case, he pleaded guilty, was fined $750 and placed on seven days of court supervision. His firearm was returned in 2017, according to court records.

Six years after his arrest, Virden hired Grayson as a part-time police officer.

In 2016, two months after pleading guilty to the first charge, Grayson was pulled over by Macoupin County sheriff’s deputies and refused a breathalyzer test. During the arrest, he told the officer to “hurry up” because he had to urinate. He threatened to pee in a trash can or in his pants, the report said. At one point, he told the arresting officer he was “too small to make him mad,” the police report said.

Grayson pleaded guilty again in 2017. His license was revoked for more than two years before being reinstated on August 30, 2019, less than a year before he joined the Pawnee Police Department.

The Massey shooting garnered national attention and prompted responses from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Massey family met with Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Tuesday, Crump said.

At Tuesday’s news conference, Crump appeared with Massey’s family members, who said they learned from the media that Massey had died in an officer-involved shooting. One family member said hospital staff heard police tell nurses that Massey had died of a self-inflicted wound. Other family members said they had heard Massey had been shot by an intruder.

Crump said the family, including her two teenage children, deserves to know what happened to Massey.

“It’s trying to put yourself in their shoes and their neighbors’ shoes,” Crump said. “I know it’s hard for some people to wrap their heads around, but it’s a reality for most people of color, especially black people in America. We think about this every day, but by the grace of God, it could be your next mother, or your daughter, or your son.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and television stations throughout the state. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with significant contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.