Gov. JB Pritzker calls on Sangamon County Sheriff to resign over shooting death of Sonya Massey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on a downstate Illinois sheriff to resign over his handling of the shooting death of Sonya Massey, who was killed by a sheriff's deputy who has since been fired and charged with murder.
At an unrelated event on Wednesday, Pritzker said he and Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton have called on Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign because, "He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff" who shot and killed Massey.
In a statement, Campbell said calls for his resignation "are nothing more than political maneuvering during a tragic event and only hurt the good citizens of Sangamon County."
"I was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Sheriff's Office through both good times and bad. I am fully prepared to continue leading my office and serving the residents of Sangamon County through this difficult period, ensuring we learn from this tragedy and work toward a better future," Campbell said.
Pritzker also criticized Campbell for not yet meeting with the Massey family since she was killed.
"I'm not saying that's a fireable offense to not meet with the family, but that just seems outrageous to me. At a minimum, listen to them, hear them, and then hopefully take action," Pritzker said.
Campbell said he has requested four separate times to meet with the Massey family.
"My requests have been rejected or not accepted. I am still willing to meet with the family," Campbell said.
The governor called Massey's death a "terrible tragedy."
"A woman who called police to get help, asked them to protect her, was instead killed by the deputy sheriff – and if you watch the video, in a horrific fashion," Pritzker said.
The governor said he and Stratton have met with the Massey family to discuss ways the state might help prevent something like this from happening again.
Campbell has defended his decision to hire Sean Grayson, the deputy who shot and killed Massey early on Saturday, July 6, at her house outside Springfield. He shot her when she checked on a pot of boiling water in her own kitchen while saying, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Grayson was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff's office and has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct in Massey's death. He has pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, his past has raised new questions over the decision to hire him in the first place. Before he was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff's office, Grayson had worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years.
On Tuesday, Pritzker said he was "disappointed" with the answers Campbell has given for hiring Massey.
"How did the sheriff end up hiring this person—must have known their background, must have. I mean, no one hires somebody without checking out the hiree's background," Pritzker said.
The sheriff said he is willing to modify his office's hiring practices to prevent such incidents in the future.
"However, before changes can be made, it is important to identify the problem. We have used a process that we believe was consistent with statewide standards. If these standards are deficient, we would advocate a change at all necessary levels," Campbell said. "I have worked tirelessly to make all the facts available to the public as swiftly and transparently as possible. I am committed to working with our community and elected leaders to improve not only the Sheriff's Office but also hiring standards on a statewide level to prevent a state agency from certifying a similar law enforcement officer six different times in the future."
Despite two previous DUIs and a discharge from the U.S. Army in 2016 for serious misconduct, Grayson was hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. Grayson also had a disciplinary file that included accusations of bullying behavior and abuse of power, records obtained by CBS News show.
Two of the six law enforcement agencies for which Grayson had worked since 2020 said he needed more training, while a third said he "did not demonstrate good officer safety skills." But Campbell said earlier this month that Grayson had more training than most officers.
"He was certified to work in Illinois," said Campbell. "He had to pass all the required testing. He was drug tested and, and he passed a psychological evaluation."
Campbell has said the two DUIs in Grayson's past were not a "red flag."