Topline
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell should resign after he “failed to explain” why he hired the deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in early July.
Gov. Pritzker said in a news conference Wednesday he called on Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell … [+]
Key Facts
Pritzker and his Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton issued a joint statement Wednesday saying Campbell should resign “immediately so the Springfield and Sangamon County community can begin to rebuild and restore trust between citizens and the sheriff’s department.”
Pritzker, a Democrat, said in an unrelated press conference Wednesday he decided to call for Campbell’s resignation because he has “failed to explain” how he hired a deputy who had “been fired from other departments” and “has failed to put forward reforms that clearly need to be made.”
He also took issue with the fact that Campbell has still failed to meet with the Massey family, saying that while it isn’t a “fireable offense” not to meet with them, it “seems outrageous to me.”
Campbell has said he tried to meet with the family four times, but has been rejected, USA Today reported.
Sean Grayson, the officer who killed Massey—a 36-year-old mother of two who was fatally shot after reporting a suspected intruder—was hired full time in Sangamon County in May 2023 and, prior to that, had worked for six different law enforcement agencies over the span of four years.
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Crucial Quote
“The community remains in fear that calling the Sheriff’s Office when they feel endangered will lead to another murder of an innocent resident,” the statement from Pritzker and Stratton read.
Contra
Campbell released a statement responding to Pritzker’s call for his resignation Wednesday, saying he is “fully prepared” to continue leading his office and is willing to work to make improvements to the department and its hiring process,. “I was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Sheriff’s Office through both good times and bad,” he said.
News Peg
Massey was fatally shot at her home on July 6 after she called 911 to report a suspected intruder. Grayson and another officer arrived at her home, according to body camera footage, and searched Massey’s property, noticing a car with a broken window before knocking on the door. Massey spoke to the officers and Grayson told her to turn off her stove, where there appeared to be water boiling. Massey said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” and Grayson told her “you better f— not before I f— shoot you in the f— face.” Massey ducked and apologized before three shots were fired, and an autopsy later confirmed she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Key Background
Grayson was fired from the sheriff’s office and was indicted by a grand jury on July 17. He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of official misconduct and aggravated battery with a firearm, NPR Illinois reported. After the shooting, news broke that Grayson had a series of short stints at other police departments and had two drunk driving convictions, one of which led to him being kicked out of the Army—which law enforcement experts told the Associated Press should have raised questions in the hiring process. Massey’s killing has drawn comparisons to other fatal police shootings of Black women, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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