Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy now charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, was previously discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct, military records show.
Grayson, who is white, was indicted by a grand jury in the July 6 death of Massey, who is Black. Ben Crump, the family’s attorney, said the U.S. Department of Justice has also opened an investigation into the incident, but the agency said in a statement that it is “assessing the circ*mstances” and following the criminal case.
Documents obtained from the Kincaid Police Department, where Grayson previously worked, note that he was discharged in 2016 for “Misconduct (Serious Offense)” at the Fort Riley Army installation in Kansas. Army officials confirmed Grayson was a wheeled vehicle mechanic from May 2014 to February 2016, but declined to provide further details about his discharge.
“The Privacy Act and (Department of Defense) policy prevent us from releasing information relating to the misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge,” Army spokesman Bryce S. Dubee wrote in an email. Officials at Fort Riley did not return voicemails seeking comment.
Anthony Ghiotto, a former Air Force prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of Illinois, said there are several reasons why a service member could receive this type of discharge, including as a potential result of a court-martial conviction, in lieu of a court-martial proceeding, or if they commit a civilian infraction that can’t be disciplined through the military justice system. He said this kind of discharge suggests that Grayson committed an offense equivalent to something that would have led to at least a year of incarceration for a civilian.
“A good way of looking at it is, if it would be a misdemeanor in the civilian world, it’s not going to be a ‘serious offense,’” he said.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation confirmed Grayson was not convicted of any crimes in Kansas, the state where he was stationed and discharged from the Army. However, the bureau’s records do not reflect whether Grayson was previously arrested or charged with any crimes that were later withdrawn, sent to a diversion program, or did not result in a conviction.
Invisible Institute, Illinois Public Media and the Investigative Reporting Workshop contacted law enforcement agencies in the counties surrounding Fort Riley. The Riley County Police Department said its only contact with Grayson came in 2015, when he hit a deer with his truck. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office refused to search for contacts between its agency and Grayson, claiming over the phone that to do so would be illegal. The Junction City Police Department said it would perform a search and provide information later.
Daniel Fultz, Grayson’s defense attorney, declined to comment about the nature of his discharge from the Army.
Details are still emerging about the July 6 shooting of Massey, who called the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department due to a suspected intruder at her home. Body-camera footage that has since been released shows that Grayson shot Massey three times after entering her home alongside another deputy and telling her to drop a pot of boiling water she was holding. The footage shows Massey ducking with her hands up and saying “I’m sorry,” before Grayson fired. The officer later discouraged his fellow deputy from providing medical aid
“She’s done,” Grayson said. “You can go get it, but that’s a headshot.”
The case has spurred national outcry and prompted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to call for further police reform.
Following the shooting, Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently being held in the Menard County Jail without bond.
He was fired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office shortly after charges were filed. Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell wrote in a statement posted online that Grayson’s actions do not reflect the values or training of his office.
“Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson,” Campbell wrote. Grayson had other options available that he should have used. He will now face judgment by the criminal justice system and will never again work in law enforcement.”
Campbell did not respond to a request for comment about whether the department knew of Grayson’s discharge from the Army. Other reporting has also shown that Grayson received two DUI convictions in 2015 and 2016, which the sheriff’s office has confirmed it was aware of. An online petition calling for Campbell’s resignation has garnered over 2,500 signatures, and Massey’s father has said he should step down.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, said it is “appalling” that Grayson would have been hired despite significant misconduct while in the Army.
“It makes you wonder what else was missed or overlooked in his hiring process with the sheriff’s department,” Crump said. “When you look at the video coupled with the fact that he’s had six different law enforcement agencies in the last four years, it raises all sorts of red flags.”
Records show that Grayson, 30, has worked for six police departments across Central Illinois since 2020.
Grayson started as a part-time officer with the Pawnee Police Department, which did not reply to requests for comment. He remained employed with Pawnee PD for almost a year, and was also hired part-time with the Kincaid Police Department.
Kincaid Police Chief DJ Mathon said that Grayson was let go from the job after he refused to live within a ten-mile radius, as required by the Village of Kincaid. He said the department had no records of complaints or disciplinary actions against Grayson during his time there.
“I watched the video today actually,” said Mike Lawrence, a member of the Village of Kincaid’s Board of Trustees. “It was disgusting [and] it was shocking because it was so wrong.”
Lawrence confirmed he was unaware of Grayson’s discharge from the Army for serious misconduct. The news of Grayson’s killing of Massey wasn’t a surprise, he said, because of the impression he made while he was at the Kincaid Police Department.
“I thought he was a loose cannon,” Lawrence said. “He was just arrogant and co*cky.”
Days after leaving Kincaid, Grayson began working as a part-time officer at the Virden Police Department, where he remained for seven months and where records show he received no official complaints or discipline. The department said it had no records related to any background investigation at the time of his hiring, making it unclear if one was conducted.
Grayson took his first full-time police job in July 2021, when he was hired by the Auburn Police Department. He would remain with Auburn until May 2022. Reached by phone, the department declined to comment on his employment. After Auburn, Grayson was hired by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, where he remained for a year before starting as a deputy in Sangamon County, which includes the state capital Springfield, in May 2023.The Logan County Sheriff’s Office also did not respond to a request for comment.
Ghiotto said that the Army records should have been a “red flag” for police departments considering hiring Grayson.
“I’m very concerned about any law enforcement office hiring somebody who is discharged for serious offense misconduct with a general discharge,” he said. “I wouldn’t hire a research assistant if they have that on their record, let alone a police officer.”
This story was produced in collaboration withInvisible Institute, a nonprofit public accountability journalism organization based in Chicago, and the Investigative Reporting Workshop, an independent nonprofit newsroom affiliated with American University in Washington, D.C. Farrah Anderson is an Investigative Reporting Fellow with Invisible Institute and an intern with the Investigative Reporting Workshop. Sam Stecklow is a journalist and FOIA fellow with Invisible Institute.
TAGS: army discharge, discharge, fatal shooting, military, misconduct, police shooting, Sangamon County, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, Sean Grayson, Sonya Massey, Springfield, US Army
Farrah Anderson
Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.
