Gov. Pritzker blasts Sangamon County, Illinois sheriff for hiring deputy who killed Sonya Massey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday blasted Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell for hiring the deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in her kitchen after she called for help last month.
"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, "and so I have a lot of questions, and I'm so far disappointed with the answers that I'm hearing from the sheriff."
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.
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 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 said the two DUIs in Grayson's past were not a "red flag."
Pritzker did not join the calls for Campbell to resign, but such calls have been growing for some time.
Last week, Sangamon County Board member Sam Cahnman (D-18th) said he will introduce a resolution to have a referendum added to the ballot in November—simply asking voters whether Campbell should resign.