On Wednesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called for Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign, accusing him of failing to manage his department properly after a deputy, Sean Grayson, fatally shot Sonya Massey.
Massey had called 911 on July 6 to report a possible intruder. Deputies Grayson and another, unnamed deputy responded. Grayson shot Massey after she reportedly threw boiling water at him. Grayson claimed he feared for his life after Massey shouted religious phrases and threw the water, though body camera footage does not show Massey at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors have stated that the use of force was not justified.
Pritzker criticized Sheriff Campbell for not explaining how Grayson, who had a problematic employment history, was hired. Grayson had worked for six different law enforcement agencies in four years and had faced disciplinary issues at some of these jobs. He was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and charged with murder and other offenses.
Campbell, who has been sheriff since 2018, said he was unaware of any serious issues with Grayson’s previous work. He also claimed that he had tried to meet with Massey’s family multiple times but was unsuccessful.
Pritzker expressed frustration that Campbell had not met with the family and criticized him for not implementing necessary reforms. However, Campbell argued that the calls for his resignation were politically motivated and insisted he would not step down. He promised to work on improving hiring practices and addressing any deficiencies.
Pritzker also acknowledged the efforts of the Illinois State Police in quickly investigating the case and noted that while progress has been made, there is still much work to do to ensure such tragedies are prevented in the future.