Feds are `assessing the circumstances’ in death of Sangamon County woman shot by deputy

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday that it is “assessing the circumstances” surrounding the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy.

Benjamin Crump, renowned civil rights attorney who represents the family of the woman, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the DOJ had opened an investigation into the shooting death of Sonya Massey, 36.

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

Massey called 911 to report a prowler outside her home in the early morning hours of July 6. About 30 minutes later, the deputies who responded to the call reported shots fired and Massey had been struck by gunfire.

Former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, 30, was indicted for first-degree murder last week. He is being detained until trial. After his arrest, Grayson was fired. The body camera video of the incident was released on Monday.

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

The video shows that after checking the house for intruders, police went inside. Massey, wearing nightclothes, asked if she could remove a pot from the stove that was heating an unknown liquid. When the unidentified officer who responded with Grayson moves 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 draws his weapon.

Massey drops below a kitchen counter that separates them, puts her hands up and apologizes. She rises back up and appears to be holding the upended 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 driver’s license was reinstated 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 represented to ILETSB that Grayson had no convictions for felonies, qualifying misdemeanors, or crimes of moral turpitude.

Harris and Pawnee leaders declined to comment through their attorney.

Grayson also revealed on his application that he received a general discharge from the military in 2016. He bounced around jobs, working in a gym, as a landscaper and finally as security 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.

Then he was sent to training.

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

Grayson began moonlighting at Kincaid Police Department but left three months later when he was hired by Virden Police Department in May 2021.

He worked part-time at Virden for seven months.

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

Grayson then went to work at the Logan County Sheriff’s Department beginning in May 2022. He stayed there 11 months before taking the job at 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 none had been provided as of Tuesday.

Although driving under the influence is not a disqualifying misdemeanor under ILETSB rules, Macoupin County court records showed that Grayson was also charged in 2015 and 2016 with DUI.

A 2015 report by the Virden Police Department showed that he had a firearm and marijuana in the vehicle at the time of his DUI arrest.

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 a court record.

Virden hired Grayson as a part-time police officer six years after that arrest.

In 2016, two months after he pleaded guilty on the first charge, Grayson was stopped by Macoupin County Sheriff’s deputies and refused a breathalyzer. During the arrest, he told the deputy to “hurry up” because he needed to urinate. He threatened to urinate in a trash can or his pants, according to the report. At one point, he told the arresting officer that he was “too small to make him mad,” according to the police report.

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

Massey’s shooting has gained national attention, garnering comments 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 found out from the media that Massey died in an officer-involved shooting. One family member said hospital personnel overheard police telling nurses that Massey died from a self-inflicted wound. Other family members said they were told Massey was shot by an intruder.

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

“It is trying to put yourself in their shoes and their neighbors’ shoes,” Crump said. “I know it’s hard for some people to even fathom it, but it’s a reality for most people of color, especially black people in America. We think about this every day that but by the grace of God, it could be your mama next 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 TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.