Jack Campbell, the Illinois sheriff whose deputy was charged with murder after fatally shooting a Black woman in her home last month, said Friday that he would leave his position by the end of the month amid calls from the public and the governor that he do so.
The sheriff said in a statement obtained by WAND, a local television news station, that the “current political climate” made it impossible for him to continue in his role leading the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and that he would retire no later than Aug. 31.
Sheriff Campbell had previously said he would not resign as he faced criticism for having hired Sean Grayson, the white deputy who shot Sonya Massey, 36, despite knowing that Mr. Grayson, 30, had two convictions for driving under the influence on his record, including one that had led to Mr. Grayson’s premature discharge from the Army in February 2016.
Mr. Grayson fatally shot Ms. Massey at her home in Springfield, Ill., on July 6 after she had called the emergency services because she believed an intruder was in her home.
The day before, Ms. Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, had called 911 to alert the authorities that her daughter had been having a mental breakdown and was in a vulnerable state.
“I don’t want you guys to hurt her, please,” she told a dispatcher on the morning of July 5.
Sheriff Campbell, who was elected in 2018, fired Mr. Grayson on July 17 after an investigation into the deputy’s shooting of Ms. Massey by the state police resulted in a murder charge. On July 22, his department released footage of the shooting from Mr. Grayson’s body-worn camera.
The footage shows Mr. Grayson and his partner searching outside Ms. Massey’s home before following her inside. Ms. Massey can be seen handling a pot of water that was on the stove.
She is standing several feet away from the deputies as she twice tells them, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Mr. Grayson warns Ms. Massey that she “better not” and threatens to shoot her in the face. Seconds later, he draws his gun and orders her to drop the pot before firing at least two shots at her.
“Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson,” Sheriff Campbell said in a statement following the release of the footage. “Grayson had other options available that he should have used. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office.”
Calls for Sheriff Campbell to resign came after the his office released Mr. Grayson’s personnel records, which detailed his two drunken-driving convictions — one in 2015, the other in 2016. Critics say Mr. Grayson’s convictions should have been seen as red flags.
On Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also called on Mr. Campbell to resign, and he criticized the sheriff for not having met with Ms. Massey’s family a month after the shooting.
Efforts to reach the sheriff for comment on Friday were not immediately successful.
Sheriff Campbell had dismissed calls for his resignation and defended Mr. Grayson’s hiring, saying that convictions for driving under the influence do not disqualify candidates for deputy positions and that Mr. Grayson had been backed by references from trusted people.
Amid the fallout, the sheriff had said he was committed to making changes to prevent episodes like the one that claimed Ms. Massey’s life.
“Despite these efforts, some in our community want me to pay the price for that person’s actions, even threatening that I pay that price with my life, my family’s lives, or the lives of my deputies,” Mr. Campbell said in his resignation statement. He added, “Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as sheriff.”
Ms. Massey’s death is the latest case of an unarmed Black person killed at the hands of law enforcement officers that has prompted national outrage and reignited conversations about the treatment of Black people by the police and the use of excessive force in the United States.
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