SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Sangamon County officials have responded to multiple questions Friday about the Sonya Massey case, including whether there was confusion on Sonya Massey’s death being officer-involved or self-inflicted.
Officials with the Sheriff’s Office assert they were never confused if the shooting was self-inflicted.
The details were unclear in the office’s first news release about Massey’s death, when they said “the Deputies reported that shots had been fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire.”
They pointed out while dispatchers used the phrase “self-inflicted,” former deputy Sean Grayson stated he was the shooter twice in the body-camera footage.
“While we are aware that the phrase “self-inflicted” was used, we understood it to be a question by dispatchers initially,” county officials wrote in a statement. “No cover-up has occurred. The Sheriff’s office contacted the Illinois State Police and requested that they initiate and take over the investigation of the incident even before Ms. Massey was reported to have died.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not notify Massey’s family, as that was ISP’s responsibility once they took over the investigation. They do not know when State Police notified Sonya Massey’s family.
The Sherriff’s office is also calling on ISP to investigate the scanner audio where dispatchers call the shooting “self-inflicted”.
“We owe it to the community and to Ms. Massey’s family to ensure complete transparency,” officials said in their statement.
Hiring Sean Grayson
The office defended their decision to hire the deputy despite Grayson’s two misdemeanor DUIs in 2015 and 2016 in a statement Friday.
“Through our current hiring process, Grayson’s application was reviewed and sent to a Merit Commission for review and certification. The Merit Commission certified Grayson for hire. He was also interviewed by more than one person. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) reviewed the information, which included the DUI convictions. ILETSB certified Grayson for hire and advised that he had been certified several times in the past despite the history of the DUIs. Grayson passed a drug test, criminal background check, and psychological evaluation and graduated from a 16-week training academy before serving as a Sangamon County Deputy.”
Sangamon County
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office was also aware of Grayson’s general honorable discharge from the Army, with misconduct coming from one of the DUIs. A spokesperson with the Army confirmed Sean Grayson was a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic in the Regular Army from May 2014 to February 2016, who was never deployed.
“Mr. Grayson always helped his fellow Soldiers during their tasks,” Master Sergeant Ray Benekin, Grayson’s commanding officer, wrote in a letter to Sangamon County for his hiring. “No matter what issues arose he continued to be a team player. Aside from Mr. Grayson’s DUI, there were no other issues that he had during his tenure in the Army.”
WCIA also requested Grayson’s personnel file for his employment with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office under the Freedom of Information Act.
Sangamon County also confirmed they received a grievance for wrongful termination for Grayson from the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.
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