The ex-sheriff's deputy facing murder charges for the death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman fatally shot in her Illinois home, previously worked for six different police agencies since 2020, state law enforcement records indicate. Sean Grayson’s career included short stints as a part-time officer at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth department as well as working full-time at two sheriff’s offices, all in central Illinois, reports the Associated Press. Grayson, 30, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges in the July 6 killing. He was fired last week by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriffs' body camera video confirmed prosecutors’ account of the tense moment when Grayson yelled across a counter at Massey to set down a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly rose, and Grayson fired his pistol at her. Massey was hit three times, with a fatal shot to her head.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired part-time on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He also was hired part-time on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department. Two months later, he was hired full-time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full-time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023, and was hired full-time on May 1, 2023, by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. He received his part-time Law Enforcement Certification on June 5, 2021, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. His certification status currently reads as suspended on the board’s website. The family wants Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which aims to crack down on police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement,
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