In wake of Sonya Massey shooting, call issued for referendum on whether Illinois sheriff should resign

CHICAGO (CBS) — Calls are growing for the Sangamon County, Illinois sheriff to resign—after one of his deputies shot and killed Sonya Massey in her kitchen after she called for help last month.

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 Sheriff Jack Campbell should resign.

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 Massey’s murder. 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.”

“It was something from his past, and nothing that he did in his past decertified him as a police officer,” Campbell said.

Cahnman took issue with Campbell’s reasoning.

“I would disagree with the sheriff if he said that two DUIs is not a red flag,” he said. “It’s clear to me the man should have never been hired.”

Cahnman hopes to have voters weigh in on whether Campbell should keep his post in a nonbinding referendum.

“‘Should Sheriff Jack Campbell resign?’ and let the voters have a say. And you know, if the majority say he shouldn’t resign, then so be it,” Cahnman said. “But if they say he should resign, then I think he should really take that to heart.”

Campbell has said he will not be resigning.

“We’re going through a very difficult time, and it would be irresponsible for me to abandon the men and women of the Sheriff’s office.”

Cahnman said it was unclear if Grayson and the other deputies who responded to Massey’s home were informed that her mother called 911 the day before to report that Massey was in mental distress.