Source: Sangamon County PD / Sangamon County
It appears that the violent death of Sonya Massey at the hands of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson was preventable. Well, we already knew that just by looking at the police bodycam footage that clearly shows the shooting was unnecessary, but it’s also arguable that Massey might still be alive if police agencies were more discerning in regards to who they hire.
According to IPM News, military records obtained from one of Grayson’s previous employers show that he was discharged from the military in 2016 for what was labeled as “Misconduct (Serious Offense).” The record doesn’t go into any further detail regarding why Grayson, who was stationed at Fort Riley Army installation in Kansas, was discharged, but that doesn’t make the glaring red flag any less bright.
Actually, maybe that isn’t fair. After all, we don’t know why he was discharged, right? Then again, former Air Force prosecutor Andrew Ghiotto told IPM News that a “serious” dischargeable offense is typically “an offense equivalent to something that would have led to at least a year of incarceration for a civilian.” Should someone be able to become a police officer if they have a crime on their record that would have landed them in prison? If so, not only did Grayson become an officer of the law despite the discharge on his record, but he did so six separate times with six separate police agencies.
In fact, not only did Grayson—who is currently being held without bail on multiple charges including three counts of first-degree murder—bounce around from one agency to the next half a dozen times, but he lasted at most of them for less than a year.
From SCRIPPS News:
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.
So, five different agencies employed Grayson for less than a year, then, during his time at the sixth agency, he shot and killed a Black woman he had no discernable reason to shoot and kill.
Again, maybe Massey would still be alive if the bar wasn’t so low in regard to who can carry a gun and badge.