‘She cried for help and we failed’: Sheriff asks for forgiveness for Sonya Massey shooting

The sheriff of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, where the former deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in her home earlier this month after she called 911 to report a possible intruder worked, said at a public meeting Monday night that they had “failed” her.

“Sonya Massey — I say her name and I will never forget it,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said during a “Community Healing & Listening Session” Monday night at Union Baptist Church in Springfield. “She cried out for help and we failed. That’s all she did: cry out for help.”

“I’m going to say something now that I’ve never said before in my career: We failed,” Campbell continued. “We didn’t do our job. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya’s family and friends. We failed the community. I stand before you today with my arms wide open asking for forgiveness.”

Sean Grayson, the former police officer who shot and killed Sonya Massey in her Illinois home on July 6 while responding to her 911 call, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and government misconduct in connection with Massey’s death. He will remain in custody.

Many at Monday’s meeting applauded Campbell’s comments, but some expressed fear and outrage about law enforcement and community relations in the area.

“I live alone, and while I have always preferred not to call the police, I will certainly not call the police now,” Springfield resident Sierra Helmer said Monday. “If I need help, I should be able to call the police. Police officers are meant to protect and serve, but here in Springfield, apparently, and on camera, they unfortunately intimidate and kill. Sonya’s tragic death has angered me as a single black woman raised by a black woman and the many other black women who raised me.”

Helmer’s comments were met with applause and cheers from the community.

“I have asked for forgiveness from Ms. Massey and her family,” Campbell said. “I am not apologizing. What I am doing is offering our attempt to do better, to be better.”

“We will probably never know why he did what he did,” Campbell continued, referring to Grayson, “but I am committed to providing all of you with the best service possible.”

Campbell also said Monday night that he will not resign from his position.

“I can’t resign,” he said. “I’m not going to leave the sheriff’s office at the most critical time. That doesn’t solve anything. The incident will continue.”

Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed officer responded to a 911 call from Massey on July 6 reporting a possible intruder in her Springfield home.

Body camera footage released last week and viewed by ABC News shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two officers, “Please don’t hurt me,” when she answered the knock on her door.

Grayson replied, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”

Later in the video, while Massey is in her home searching for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on the stove and says, “We don’t need a fire as long as we’re here.”

Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the officer, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson then yells at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She stands up briefly, and Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.

The footage was filmed from the point of view of Grayson’s partner, because Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, court documents show.

An Illinois State Police investigation found Grayson was unjustified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.

The Massey family’s attorney, Ben Crump, has said that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the shooting. However, Chicago ABC station WLS reported last week that the Justice Department told them in a statement that it “is aware of and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Ms. Sonya Massey at the hands of an officer and extends its condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Grayson himself has a history of problematic behavior. Before he went into public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.

ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, court records show.

James Wilburn, Massey’s father, criticized Sheriff Campbell for his role with Grayson and called on Campbell to resign at a press conference last week.

“The sheriff here is a disgrace,” Wilburn said. “(Grayson) should never have had a badge. And he should never have had a gun. He should never have had the opportunity to kill my child.”

ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin and Dhanika Pineda contributed to this report.