Hear WTAX’s Dave Dahl with the one-on-one interview with Sheriff Jack Campbell
Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – “Quitting will serve no purpose.” Those are the words of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. He met with media throughout the day Thursday to provide information and perspective on the Sonya Massey shooting and now former deputy Sean Grayson’s employment and actions.
Campbell said there is no way he could have predicted that Grayson was going to do what he did. “That’s the hard part about this. People don’t understand that he had all the training he needed. He had all the tools. He even had the experience to handle the call appropriately. He had many other opportunities for other options, and he did not use them.”
Grayson was one of two deputies responding to a 911 call reporting a prowler in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue on July 6. After asking Massey to attend to a pot of water on the stove, Grayson shot her in the face after she said the words “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson had worked for five other law enforcement agencies prior to joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. A background investigation report from Sangamon County Sheriff Lt. Wes Wooden was submitted to Campbell March 30, 2023. Wooden states one of Grayson’s co-workers at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office indicated he needed more training. Wooden also reported Chief Dave Campbell with the Auburn Police Department echoed Grayson’s need for more training.
“That’s why I sent him through another academy. I gave him another 16 weeks of training,” said Campbell. He went on to say Grayson should have had all the tools he needed.
There were no disciplinary issues, according to Campbell, and Grayson used good judgment in ‘use of force’ scenarios during training.
As to whether Grayson’s two DUI arrests, in 2015 and 2016, should keep him from being a deputy, Campbell said “they do not decertify him from being a police officer.” He was certified by the State of Illinois six times for each of the agencies he worked at. “There was no indication that those DUIs would have any correlation to the violent act that occurred on July 6.”
Campbell said he watched the bodycam video with his chief deputy and captain of investigations. “We sat there in stunned silence” and knew “exactly what the future held for us and for Grayson.”
“I was sick to my stomach. I was horrified,” he said. “We knew he acted outside the scope of his authority, our policies, procedure and the law.”
At this time, the Sheriff’s Office is conducting its own investigation of the shooting of Sonya Massey. Campbell said the other deputy that responded to the call with Grayson is not, at this time, under investigation by the Illinois State Police. Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser has also not informed them that he is looking at any charges.
Campbell did not identify the deputy, but said he is currently performing administrative duties. They are determining whether he followed department policies and procedures, and there is no time set for him to return to duty on the streets.
“My job, as I was elected to do, is to lead us in difficult times like this.” Campbell said the problem will still be here even if he steps down, and the department will lack a leader. He added, “It’s easy to be a leader when times are good. Now is when I will step up, as I have every time something difficult has occurred.”
He believes he is the best person for the job after being elected twice. “I cannot abandon the people who need me.” As for county board members who have taken their calls for resignation public, Campbell said they are using a tragic incident like this for partisan politics.
With no plans to step down, will the Massey shooting affect whether Campbell will seek reelection? He said it will be a family decision, but the Massey shooting will not affect his decision to run. “I’m 60-years-old. I’ve been here all my life. I’m a third-generation Sangamon County deputy.” The next election for Sangamon County Sheriff will be in 2026.
