Former Sheriff’s Deputy Who Fatally Shot Sonya Massey Held 6 Police Jobs in Last 4 Years

The former sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her Illinois home while responding to her call for help has held six different police positions since 2020, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board confirmed to ABC News.

Body camera footage released Monday shows former deputy Sean Grayson yelling at Massey, an unarmed 36-year-old black mother of two, to put down a pot of boiling water.

The video, seen by ABC News, shows Massey telling the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” and then apologizing after the officer threatened to shoot her. She poured the water into the sink and ducked behind a counter, covering her face with what appeared to be a red oven mitt. She stood up briefly and Grayson shot her three times in the face.

A review by the Illinois State Police found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.

Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death.

Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) records show that Grayson, 30, held three full-time jobs and three part-time jobs at four police departments and two sheriff’s offices over the past four years, all in the state of Illinois.

Grayson worked for three different police departments in 2021 alone, records show. His shortest tenure was with the Kincaid Police Department, where he was employed for just over three months. Records list his reason for leaving as “other.”

His longest tenure was with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, where he served for a year and two months. Grayson was fired from Sangamon County last week after Massey’s death.

Grayson worked part-time with the Pawnee Police Department from August 2020 to July 2021; his reason for leaving is listed as “other.” He also worked part-time with the Kincaid Police Department from February to May 2021.

The Kincaid Police Department told ABC News that Grayson was “terminated by the Kincaid Village Council when he refused to live within a 10-mile radius of the village.” They also said they have no complaints against Grayson and that no disciplinary action was taken against him while he was employed by the Kincaid Police Department.

The Virden Police Department hired him part-time from May to December 2021, and he also worked full-time with the Auburn Police Department from July 2021 to May 2022. Both departments list the reason for his departure as “resignation.”

Grayson then worked full-time at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office from May 2022 until his resignation in April 2023. He was hired by the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office in May 2023, where he remained until his termination last week.

ABC News is seeking further details about Grayson’s employment history.

“It is clear that the deputy did not perform as he was expected to or in accordance with our standards. As a result, Sean Grayson’s employment with the Sheriff’s Office has been terminated,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell wrote in a statement announcing Grayson’s firing.

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, questioned Grayson’s employment history.

“The biggest question is, how did this man get hired into law enforcement?” Wilburn told ABC News. “Any black man with a blemish on his record, he can’t get hired into a police department. But here’s a man who, in four years, has worked in six different departments.”

Wilburn also criticized Sheriff Campbell for his role in Grayson’s employment and called on Campbell to resign during a news conference Tuesday.

“The sheriff here is a disgrace,” Wilburn said.[Grayson] “He never should have had a badge. And he never should have had a gun. He never should have had the opportunity to kill my child.”

Campbell told ABC News he would not resign.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, says Grayson must be held accountable for his actions.

“Sonya Massey needed a hand up. She didn’t need a bullet to the head. We can’t keep shooting first and asking questions later when it comes to black people,” Crump told ABC News.

ABC News’ Davi Merchan and Emily Chang contributed to this report.