After being expelled from the Army for drunk driving, the deputy who killed Massey should have sent warning signals, experts say

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged in the shooting death of Sonya Massey has been kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken driving convictions in which he carried a gun in his car, authorities said. But that didn’t stop several law enforcement agencies from awarding him a badge.

Before beginning his career as a police officer with six jobs in four years—the first three of which were part-time—30-year-old Sean Grayson was convicted of drunk driving twice within a year, which cost him his military service.

The convictions, as well as his past employment history, should have raised serious questions when the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department hired him in May 2023, law enforcement experts say.

Grayson, who has since been fired, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of authority in connection with the death of Massey, a 36-year-old black woman from Springfield who called 911 about a suspected burglar. Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty.

“Six jobs in four years should have been a red flag. And you would wonder why he wasn’t hired full-time in any of those (part-time) jobs,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. “That, combined with his history of drunkenness offenses, would be reason enough to take a closer look at whether or not he would be suitable.”

Grayson, who joined the Army in 2014, was charged with drunken driving following traffic stops on August 10, 2015, and again on July 26, 2016, in Macoupin County.

The first driving under the influence led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for “serious misconduct,” according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personal information, adding that Grayson had an unregistered weapon in his vehicle.

Macoupin County Prosecutor Jordan Garrison confirmed that police found a gun in the center console. However, Grayson was not charged with gun possession because he was a resident of Fort Riley, Kansas, which has an open carry law.

Grayson was discharged under honorable conditions rather than honorably because the charges against him were brought by a civilian law enforcement agency and his military service was otherwise impeccable.

His attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment Monday.

A drunken driving charge does not legally disqualify someone from working for the police force, says Sean Smoot, chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, but a staffing agency may well consider it.

“Some police departments wouldn’t hire someone with one DUI,” Smoot said. “I’m shocked that any agency would hire someone with two DUIs, but several agencies apparently have.”

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, has called for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. “He has no intention of resigning,” said Campbell’s spokesman Jeff Wilhite.

A statement from Campbell’s office said the county Commission on Performance Ability and the State Law Enforcement Agency recommended Grayson for admission to the police force despite the drunken driving cases and that he passed a drug test, a criminal background check, a psychological evaluation and a 16-week academy course.

The body-worn camera video of the killing, released last week, has sent shockwaves through the town 200 miles southwest of Chicago, the site of race riots in 1908 that led to the founding of the NAACP a year later.

“Black women are being attacked,” said Teresa Haley, a consultant and founder of Visions 1908, a social and economic justice and education advocacy group. “When I saw the video, I thought, ‘This is not murder. This is an assassination.'”

In the video, Grayson and another officer search outside Massey’s home for a burglar before knocking on her front door. Several minutes pass before Massey answers, during which Grayson makes a comment about her being dead inside and calls out to her impatiently.

When she does, Massey, who has suffered from mental health issues, says, “Don’t hurt me,” looks confused and repeats, “Please, God.” Grayson responds condescendingly when asked if there is anything else he can do for her. While trying to get her name for a report, he enters the house.

“His behavior before, during and after suggests that this guy was an unpredictable human being, and that’s putting it politely,” said Kalfani Ture, a former police officer who is now an assistant professor of criminal justice at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, and a lecturer at the New York Police Department Academy.

At Massey’s house, video shows Grayson ordering a pot of water to be removed from the flame on the stove. Massey apparently places it next to the sink. After the two joke about Grayson moving away from her “hot, steamy water,” Massey inexplicably says, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

This causes Grayson to draw his gun. Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, but when Grayson yells at her to drop the pot, she gets back up and appears to pick it up again. Grayson shoots three times, hitting her in the face. He then advises his partner to get his medical kit. After giving in and getting his own, he returns to find paramedics on the scene, drops it on the floor and says he’s not “going to waste my medical stuff.”

“This is not typical of a police officer. This is typical of someone who has no regard for human life,” Ture said. “And this incident is no exception. Someone like him has this profile pretty consistently.”

Ture said Massey likely picked up the pot because she had already put it down when Grayson asked her to and was confused by his aggressive instructions. He quickly used deadly force despite having cover — a considerable distance from Massey and a counter between them — and he had other options, including using a stun gun, chemical spray or simply overpowering the petite woman, Ture said.

Drawing his weapon caused the incident to escalate, Wexler said.

“He should have slowed things down, communicated, had a plan B and known where the door was to get out of the house. He should not have put himself in a position where he had no choice but to use deadly force by standing still, drawing his weapon and barking orders,” Wexler said.

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Baldor reported from Washington, DC