Jack Campbell, an 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.
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 Grayson, 30, had two convictions for driving under the influence on his record, including one that had led to Grayson’s premature discharge from the Army in February 2016.
Grayson fatally shot Massey at her home in Springfield on July 6 after she had called emergency services because she believed an intruder was in her home.
The day before, Massey’s mother, Donna, had called 911 to alert 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.
Campbell, who was elected in 2018, fired Grayson on July 17 after an investigation into the deputy’s shooting of Massey by state police resulted in a murder charge. On July 22, his department released footage of the shooting from Grayson’s body-worn camera.
The footage shows Grayson and his partner searching outside Massey’s home before following her inside. 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.”
Grayson warns 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,” Campbell said in a statement after 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.”
On Friday, a judge denied Grayson’s motion to be released from jail before the trial. His next day in court is Aug. 26, according to the docket.
Calls for Campbell to resign came after his office released Grayson’s personnel records, which detailed his two drunken-driving convictions — one in 2015, the other in 2016. Critics say Grayson’s convictions should have been seen as red flags.
On Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also called on Campbell to resign, and he criticized the sheriff for not having met with Massey’s family a month after the shooting.
Efforts to reach the sheriff for comment Friday were not immediately successful.
Campbell had dismissed calls for his resignation and defended Grayson’s hiring, saying that convictions for driving under the influence do not disqualify candidates for deputy positions and that 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 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,” 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.”
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 police and the use of excessive force in the United States.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
