SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois sheriff whose deputy shot Sonya Massey, the unarmed Black woman who called 911 for help in her Springfield home, apologized to the community during a gathering Monday night, saying, “I offer up no excuses.”
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell faced a hostile crowd of more than 500 people at Union Baptist Church in a meeting facilitated by the Community Relations Service of the Justice Department, according to local media reports.
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“I stand here today before you with arms wide open and I ask for your forgiveness," an emotional Campbell said. “I ask Ms. Massey and her family for forgiveness. I offer up no excuses. What I do is offer our attempt to do better, to be better.”
Former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the death of 36-year-old Massey for the July 6 shooting. Body-worn camera video released July 22 shows that inside her home, Massey moved a pan of hot water from the stove, Grayson apparently feared she would throw it at him. He fired three times, striking Massey once in the face despite having several non-lethal options, authorities say. Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty.
On Tuesday, the union representing Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies said it would not pursue a grievance demanding Grayson’s reinstatement and return of lost wages and benefits. Filed July 18, it argued that Grayson was fired without just cause and news of the investigation and his dismissal were publicized before he was told.
At a news conference in Chicago, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey's family, praised the decision and said, “That's what happens when we stand together.”
Massey's family has repeatedly called for the resignation of Campbell, who was elected in 2018 and ran unopposed in 2022. The sentiment was echoed by many attending the meeting.
“I will not abandon the sheriff’s office at this most critical moment,” Campbell said. “That would solve nothing.”
Grayson was vetted and approved for hiring by Sangamon County in May 2023 despite two drunk-driving convictions, the first of which got him ejected from the Army for “serious misconduct," and having six jobs in four years, including as a sheriff's deputy in Logan County, where he was reprimanded for ignoring a command to end a high-speed chase and ended up hitting a deer.
Although a lawyer for the family said last week that the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the incident, a spokesman reiterated Tuesday that the agency is assessing the matter and following the criminal case.
Sierra Helmer of Springfield said if she needs the police, she should be able to summon them without fear.
“They’re meant to protect and serve, but here in Springfield, apparently, as shown on camera, they harass and unfortunately kill," Helmer said.
Tiara Standage, who organized several protests for justice for Massey, urged Black voters to turn Campbell away at the next election.
The news conference in Chicago preceded a rally for Massey attended by family members and civil right activist the Rev. Al Sharpton. Crump misstated the nature of the grievance, claiming it was filed because the union said Grayson “acted in self-defense” and demaned that “charges be dropped.”
“And I said, ‘My Lord, Rev. Al, did they see the same video we saw?’”
In a statement, Tamara Cummings, general counsel for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council said grievances are a matter of course and that contractual due process is afforded every union member. However, she said, “The union has determined that it will not be proceeding.” She would not elaborate.
Sharpton renewed calls for Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the legislation died in the Senate. It aims to crack down on police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement.
And he encouraged Illinois to adopt a law in Sonya Massey's name that would prevent law enforcement officers from moving rapidly from one department to another, suggesting that Grayson was forced out of one or more previous jobs. There's no evidence of that despite some discipline problems.
“If you're bad in one precinct, why would we think all of a sudden you have some kind of Damascus Road knock-off-the-horse change of heart in another district?" Sharpton said. "A bad cop is a bad cop.”
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The story has been updated to correct that the grievance was filed July 18, not last week.