DOJ opens civil rights investigation of Illinois sheriff’s office after shooting of Sonya Massey

By Dalia Faheid, Taylor Romine and Ray Sanchez

(CNN) — The US Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation of Illinois’ Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office four months after a deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey while responding to her call about a possible prowler outside the 36-year-old Black woman’s home.

The July 6 encounter between Massey and two county sheriff’s deputies who came to her home near Springfield ended with deputy Sean Grayson, who is White, shooting her following a dispute involving a pot of hot water in her kitchen, body camera footage shows. Grayson was fired and charged with murder and other offenses.

In a letter Thursday to county officials, the Justice Department said the shooting “raises serious concerns about SCSO’s interactions with Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities.” A copy of the letter was obtained by CNN affiliate WICS.

The shooting also raises concerns about the SCSO’s “policies, practices, procedures, and training regarding community policing, bias-free policing, response to behavioral health crises, use of force, de-escalation” and other matters, the DOJ said.

“Additionally, the incident and prior 911 calls involving Ms. Massey in the days before her death indicate possible issues” with the emergency response and dispatch system, according to the DOJ, which said it’s also reviewing employment practices, allegations of “a lack of racial diversity,” and body-worn camera compliance.

The Justice Department will investigate whether these matters amount to race and disability discrimination prohibited by federal law, according to the letter.

Massey’s killing – which was captured on body-worn camera video – sparked national outrage and renewed calls for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would set up a national registry of police misconduct and target racial bias and use of force. Grayson’s issues with the law, the military and his work in policing spanned six agencies in four years.

CNN sought comment from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, the Justice Department, the Sangamon County state’s attorney’s office, and attorneys for Massey’s family.

In October, the Massey Commission – which was established by Sangamon County officials after the shooting – sent a formal request for an investigation of the sheriff’s office to the Department of Justice, the Illinois attorney general and the Illinois State Police.

“We strongly encourage the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Telephone System Department and State’s Attorney’s Office to answer all of the Department of Justice’s questions in the letter so that we can all understand what exactly happened before, during and after Sonya Massey was killed by a Sangamon County deputy,” JoAnn Johnson, co-chair of the Massey Commission, said in a statement Sunday.

“These answers will help inform our work as we continue to research reform ideas and recommendations at the Massey Commission to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again.”

The DOJ’s probe is separate from the ongoing case against Grayson, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated battery of a firearm and official misconduct.

Massey, a mother of two, joined Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson on a list of Black women killed in their own homes by law enforcement – whose deadly use of force has come under scrutiny.

On July 6, Massey called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home, according to prosecutors. What began with a calm conversation between Massey and the two sheriff’s deputies at her front door and in her living room soon devolved after Grayson took steps that Illinois prosecutors and others said escalated the situation.

In a state court filing, prosecutors said a use-of-force expert had reviewed the body-camera footage and concluded the use of deadly force was not justified.

Massey’s family said she struggled with mental health issues, and dispatch records showed the sheriff’s department had been told Massey was experiencing a mental health crisis. The day before the shooting, her mother called 911 and said her daughter was having a mental breakdown but wasn’t dangerous.

The sheriff’s office also came under scrutiny for its May 2023 decision to hire Grayson. Records show he had been discharged from the Army for serious misconduct – which the sheriff’s department said it understood to be a 2015 DUI conviction – and pleaded guilty to second DUI charge in 2016. Records also show he was employed since 2020 by six Illinois law enforcement agencies. Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell retired in August.

The DOJ has requested copies of all documents related to the Massey case, including phone logs, dispatch records, transcripts and recordings, body camera footage and a list of personnel who responded to the scene. The sheriff’s office was also asked to provide information on its hiring process and policing standards dating to 2020. The DOJ asked that the records and information be provided by December 14.

Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he fatally shot Massey, according to charging documents. The other deputy activated his body camera when he first arrived at the scene, the documents stated.

After the shooting, Grayson left the house and spoke to a group of law enforcement officers outside. “Yeah I’m good, this f**king b*tch is crazy,” he said, according to the footage.

CNN’s Stephen Watts contributed to this report.

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