Illinois residents call for sheriff’s department investigation after Sonya Massey shooting

Calls for an independent investigation into the Illinois sheriff’s office that employed the deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey flooded into a local county board meeting Tuesday, a month after the shooting prompted renewed demands for police accountability and the retirement of the local sheriff.

A parade of speakers at a Sangamon County Board meeting in Springfield, Illinois, called for an independent investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, adding that the retirement of Sheriff Jack Campbell, announced Friday in the wake of the July 6 fatal shooting, did not go far enough.

Others called for tighter oversight of the department and its $22 million budget, including redirecting funds to more fully address training for officers who deal with citizens in mental health crises.

Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, had called Springfield police the day before the shooting because she noticed her daughter was having a “mental breakdown.”

Former officer Sean P. Grayson was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody.

Grayson fatally shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, inside her home after she called 911 to report a possible prowler that morning. Body camera footage shows Grayson, who said he acted in self-defense, draw his gun and shoot Massey after she picked up a pot of boiling water.

His killing has sparked a national outcry over police brutality, protests in major cities and a federal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

Some of the speakers at Tuesday night’s county board meeting at the Bank of Springfield Center mocked board members for not speaking out more on Massey’s behalf.

Sheriff’s deputies responded instead of police because the area where Massey lived, part of a neighborhood called “Cabbage Patch,” is technically not part of the city of Springfield, but part of Woodside Township.

The sheriff’s office’s hiring practices have come under fire from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who last week formally called for Campbell to resign.

Campbell, who has been sheriff since 2018, did not attend the meeting. He is scheduled to retire no later than Aug. 31.

Records show Grayson moved from one law enforcement agency to another before landing at the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. He had two DUI convictions before entering law enforcement and had been discharged from the U.S. Army for “gross misconduct.”

At the meeting, resident Bree Roberts said Camden, New Jersey, and Eugene, Oregon, were examples of cities that invested in de-escalation training and more funding for mental health crisis teams, leading to fewer police interventions.

Roberts chided the Sangamon County department for using “significant portions” of the budget for “militarized vehicles and surveillance technologies.”

Ashley Bresnahan said Campbell’s resignation is “not enough” and that a deeply ingrained culture at the sheriff’s office needs to be addressed.

Bresnahan called for an independent investigation of the sheriff’s office and third-party training.

“Why do we keep putting a Band-Aid on the problem instead of solving the root problem?” he asked.

This article originally appeared on the State Journal-Register: Sonya Massey shooting: Residents call for independent investigation