Sonya Massey’s father calls for Jack Campbell’s resignation | News

It all happens in a matter of seconds: the interaction between a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy and Sonya Massey that leads to her being shot in the face at home.

The 36-minute police body camera video shows Massey’s death on July 6 in her Woodside Township home in the “Cabbage Patch” neighborhood. It begins with a calm, even lighthearted conversation between Massey and two officers.

But within seconds of Massey, 36, grabbing a pot of hot water from the stove and placing it on the counter, officers begin yelling and the scene ends with Grayson taking two steps toward Massey before firing three shots into the unarmed woman.

Grayson, 30, who was charged two weeks later with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and government misconduct in connection with Massey’s death, later says on the video that he fired his 9mm pistol after Grayson threw hot water at the officers. The video does not show him throwing the water, however.

A Sangamon County judge has ordered Grayson held while he awaits trial. Grayson, a Riverton resident, is being held at the Menard County Jail in Petersburg.

The video’s release prompted widespread condemnation from local, state and national elected officials, pledges to seek justice for Massey, and condolences to her family.

Statements included one from President Joe Biden, who called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to address police brutality. The Massey family also met in person on July 23 with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at a local church.

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Massey family, said at a press conference in Springfield on July 23 that he had learned that the U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into Massey’s death.

Crump said he did not yet know the scope of the investigation. The family appreciated the federal investigation, though relatives were pleased with the Illinois State Police and State’s Attorney John Milhiser’s swift investigation into the case and the charges against Grayson.

A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement: “The Justice Department is aware of and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Ms. Sonya Massey at the hands of a police officer and extends its condolences to her family and loved ones. The Department will continue to monitor the criminal case opened by the Sangamon County District Attorney’s Office.”

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, and others have called for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell for hiring an officer with two previous drunken driving convictions. Campbell, a Republican elected official, said through a spokesman that he will not resign.

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PHOTO BY DEAN OLSEN

James Wilburn, father of the late Sonya Massey, speaks at a news conference on July 22, saying he will fight for justice for his 36-year-old daughter, who was fatally shot in the head in a police-involved shooting at her Woodside Township home on July 6. Surrounded by friends and family, Wilburn said, “This time you killed the wrong black woman.” At left is civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Massey family.

Campbell said in a statement: “Sonya Massey lost her life because of an unjustified and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson had other options available to him that he should have pursued. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values ​​or training of our office.”

Sangamon County spokesman Jeff Wilhite said the county was aware of Grayson’s drunken driving convictions when he was hired in May 2023. Grayson had two years and nine months of combined full-time and part-time experience before he was hired, Wilhite said.

“All employees undergo background checks,” Wilhite said. “To our knowledge, Grayson was not terminated from a previous police job. Grayson had no use-of-force complaints or citizen complaints while he was a Sangamon County deputy. And to our knowledge, no complaints were filed against Grayson in any previous police job.”

Wilburn praised the Springfield mayor and police chief, Sangamon County prosecutors and Illinois State Police investigators for their comments and involvement in the case. But Wilburn said, “The sheriff here is a disgrace.”

After the releasesCrump called the police body camera footage on July 22 “shocking.”

“He killed her so senselessly,” Crump said of Grayson. “It was senseless on every level.”

Massey’s daughter, Jeanette “Summer” Massey, said her mother was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia with paranoia.

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PHOTO BY DEAN OLSEN

Malachi Hill Massey, the 17-year-old son of the late Sonya Massey, describes his mother at a July 23 news conference: “She was loving, caring, loved to cook. She was just a ball of energy.” Malachi Massey is flanked at the event by civil rights attorney Ben Crump (left) and Sonya Massey’s 15-year-old daughter, Jeanette “Summer” Massey.

But Crump said Grayson could havethe Taser he was carrying. He could have stepped back or called a mental health professional to the scene, Crump said.

“He could have done anything, but he confronted her. He moved closer to her,” Crump said.

Massey “was in some trouble,” Crump said. “She needed a helping hand. She didn’t need a bullet in the face.”

The incident began with a 911 call Massey placed around 12:50 a.m. on July 6 when she suspected an intruder was outside her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue. After Grayson and another officer arrived, Massey, a single mother of two teenagers who was alone in the house, opened the door and said, “Please God, please God, I’m trying to get help, everybody.”

She tells the officers at her front door, “I love you all. Thank you.” They search outside, find no prowlers, and appear ready to leave when Grayson Massey asks for identification. She goes inside to get documentation, and the officers follow her inside.

The main exchange in the video begins with Massey, a petite woman who is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds, standing behind a kitchen counter in a nightgown and pajamas. Grayson is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds, according to court records.

“Where are you going?” Massey asks, pointing toward Grayson, who is white, and the other white officer — who has not been named and has not been charged — as the pair stand in Massey’s living room next to the open kitchen.

Grayson doesn’t appear to move, but tells Massey that he wants to “stay away from your hot, steaming water.”

“Away from my hot, steaming water?” Massey asks. Then she says something that seems to upset Grayson: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” She says the phrase again.

Grayson replies, “You better not. I’ll fucking shoot you in the fucking face.”

Massey says, “Okay, I’m sorry.” She appears to put her hands on the pan on the counter, throws her hands up in the air and ducks behind the counter.

Grayson points his gun at Massey and yells, “Drop the fucking jar! Drop the fucking jar!” As he yells, Grayson takes two steps toward Massey, moving slightly around the end of the counter. He yells, “Drop it!” again before shooting her three times. One of the bullets hits her in the face, and she collapses.

It is not clear from the video whether Massey had taken her hands off the bowl when Grayson fired.

When the other officer says they need to get a first aid kit to treat Massey’s wounds, Grayson says, “You can get him, but it’s a shot to the head.”

Grayson then says, “Goddammit. I’m not going to get boiling water in my head. Look at that. It (the water) came up to our feet. Goddammit.”

Grayson then says, “There’s nothing we can do, man.”

The other officer appears to be applying pressure to Massey’s head to stop the bleeding until emergency medical services arrive. Grayson does not render medical aid and makes a comment about not wasting his first aid kit.

The video shows Grayson, who was discharged the same day a Sangamon County grand jury returned an indictment against him on July 17, providing commentary to authorities as they arrive on the scene.

“She had boiling water and she came at me with boiling water,” Grayson says. “She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus.”

When Grayson is outside the house, his own bodycam records him telling other officers, “This fucking bitch is crazy” and “it happened so fucking fast. … She set it up on purpose. … I had no fucking choice. … We were narrowly missed.”

At the press conference on July 22, Teresa Haley, founder of the nonprofit Visions 1908 and former president of the Springfield NAACP, said, “It is critical that we do everything we can to ensure this officer spends the rest of his life behind bars.”

Crump said, “Black women in America don’t get the same attention and respect.”

What the video showed was “horrific,” he said. “Where is the humanity? Where is the training? Until we get justice for Sonya Massey, we reject this discriminatory criminal justice system, in the name of Jesus.”

Her father called on Congress to pass the George Floyd legislation and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

“I want justice for my baby,” Wilburn said. “You killed the wrong black woman this time.”