Crusader Staff Report
As civil rights leaders in Chicago demand justice in the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey in Springfield, IL, a labor union representing the officer who killed her, has dropped Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson’s grievance, an attorney said Tuesday, July 30.
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council had filed the grievance on behalf of Grayson, who was fired on July 17 and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Massey on July 6.
The grievance filed against the sheriff’s department on July 18, the day after Grayson was arrested, sought his reinstatement, reimbursement of all lost wages and restoration of all lost benefits.
The union has decided to drop Grayson’s case.
“We have arrived at that final stage of the process where a determination can be made regarding whether or not to proceed with Sean Grayson’s grievance,” the labor council said in a statement released to the Springfield Journal Register.
“The Union has determined that it will NOT be proceeding any further.”
In Chicago, civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Attorney Ben Crump were joined by Reverend Marshall Hatch, Reverend Ira Acree, Massey’s relatives, and residents in the community for a spirited rally at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on the West Side Tuesday, July 30.
It was one of many rallies held in Illinois since police released a body cam video that showed Grayson killing Massey, 36 after she called for help in her Springfield home.
At the rally at the church on Tuesday, Massey’s mother, children, aunts, cousins and other family members echoed Massey’s last words of rebuke as activists called for change.
Massey’s family said they were initially told by police that Massey killed herself. Some news reports said police told Massey’s family that a prowler killed her.
Crump and Sharpton said at a press conference before the rally that Massey’s death is the result of too little action from national legislators in the wake of previous killings of Black people at the hands of police. They want Massey’s death to be a rallying cry for real police reform.
“It is the negligence of this government’s response to all of these killings that created the climate that led to Sonya,” said Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network civil rights group.
“Yes, we want to see the officer prosecuted, but we also want to see the laws change.”
Crump, an attorney who has represented many American families whose loved ones were fatally shot by police said, “Until we get full justice for Sonya Massey, we rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
While Grayson remains terminated from his job, activists are also calling for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who apologized to the community, saying, “I offer up no excuses.”
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death.
“We demand justice for Sonya Massey whose last words were a plea for help and a prayer against aggression,” said Hatch. “We demand accountability…her life matters.”
Acree said, “We stand united against this egregious murder and call for an end to all police violence and all police brutality.”
A recently released autopsy report by Sangamon County officials said Massey was killed by a gunshot wound just under her left eye.
On July 6, Massey called police believing a prowler was at her home.
Grayson’s body camera wasn’t turned on when he fatally shot Massey. But body cam video from his partner shows the two officers entering Massey’s home and looking around before they encounter the woman.
The video shows Massey carrying a pot of hot water from the stove. The video shows Grayson, who said he feared she would throw it at him, firing three shots, striking Massey once in the face. Authorities say Grayson drew his gun despite having several nonlethal options.
Before he joined law enforcement, Grayson had been arrested twice for driving under the influence and once for driving on a suspended license. Sangamon County was his sixth law enforcement employer in four years.
Massey’s family has spoken with Vice President Kamala Harris, who offered her condolences.
Massey’s family members said she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had mental health issues before her death. Her teenage son, Malachi Hill, said during a news conference last week in Springfield that he and his younger sister were living with their fathers while their mom sought treatment.
