Sean Grayson’s Record Examined, Boss Requests Forgiveness

The extra we find out about  Sonya Massey‘s killer, former Illinois deputy Sean Grayson, the extra evident it turns into that the 30-year-old mustn’t have had a badge or gun on the time he used the latter to finish Massey’s life for no discernable purpose. Possibly that’s why Grayson’s former employer is now asking for the “forgiveness” of Massey’s “household and buddies.”

In accordance with the Springfield State Journal-Register, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell stated Monday that his division “failed the neighborhood,” implying that it is because of that failure that Massey was shot to dying by a trigger-happy cop who, by the way in which, had been employed by six totally different police companies since 2020 and was discharged from the U.S. Military for “severe misconduct” in 2016.

“We failed. We didn’t do our jobs,” Campbell throughout a Division of Justice Group Relations Service listening session at Union Baptist Church in Springfield. “We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya’s household and buddies.

“I stand right here earlier than you with my arms huge open and I ask to your forgiveness. I ask (Donna Massey, Sonya’s mom) for forgiveness. I supply up no excuses,” he continued.

Final week, we realized that Grayson spent 4 years bouncing from one police company to the subsequent like they have been previous pairs of footwear. We realized that he has two DUI convictions on his report and that the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Workplace, the place Grayson was employed when he shot Massey, knew concerning the DUIs as did his earlier employers, certainly one of whom wrote in a suggestion letter to the Auburn Police Division, that “other than Mr. Grayson’s DUI, there have been no different points that he had throughout his tenure within the U.S. Military.”

Apparently, the sheriff’s workplace came upon the laborious approach that Grayson was a strolling purple flag of a cop, and a superior officer even questioned why he was nonetheless employed as an officer of the regulation. “How are you continue to employed by us?!” they requested.

They nonetheless didn’t hearth him although.

From IPM Information:

Personnel information present that Grayson’s time there was fraught, although he was not fired by the division. Grayson’s file from Logan County exhibits he continued a high-speed pursuit of a visitors offender even after his supervisor ordered him to terminate it, a girl filed a grievance claiming Grayson tried to observe as she was strip searched, and her fiancé, who was in Logan County jail, claimed Grayson questioned him in entrance of different inmates as retaliation for his girlfriend’s grievance.

Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller wrote in a November 2022 report that Grayson wanted “intensive” coaching after failing to take heed to his superiors. He wrote Grayson wanted discipline coaching, together with “extra visitors cease coaching, report writing coaching, high-stress choice making course of courses, and must learn, talk about and perceive issued Logan County Sheriff’s Division insurance policies.”

“Seven months on. How are you continue to employed by us?” Miller requested Grayson throughout a recorded assembly to debate Grayson’s actions.

“I don’t know,” Grayson responded.

Grayson continued to serve with Logan County Sheriff’s Division for 5 extra months.

Miller instructed Grayson on the time that as a result of he was nonetheless in his probationary interval, which meant he could possibly be fired at will, his quite a few violations of the sheriff’s workplace’s insurance policies may result in his termination—so why TF wasn’t he fired lengthy earlier than he was ready to stroll into Sonya Massey’s dwelling and in the end finish her life? 

Grayson may have been fired in 2022 after he continued to chase after a truck,  touring quicker than 60 mph in 30 mph zones, even after he was instructed to finish his pursuit by his supervisor. As a substitute of following his superior officer’s instruction, Grayson turned off his emergency lights and siren and continued at speeds greater than 100 mph “to maintain the truck in sight,” in response to his report.

Grayson may have been fired a month after his assembly with Miller after the sheriff’s division obtained a grievance that Grayson tried to observe as a feminine detainee was strip-searched. The grievance towards Grayson was decided to be “unfounded,” however not so unfounded that his supervisors didn’t nonetheless really feel compelled to suggest that Grayson obtain counseling on finest practices. The purple flags stored rolling in from there.

Extra from IPM:

Two weeks later, the lady’s fiancé, who was being held in Logan County Jail, filed a grievance stating Grayson got here to the jail and questioned him in retaliation.

“He’s offended at her for submitting the report and got here again right here and requested to talk to me in entrance of all the different inmates, who now know that I talked to detectives which may presumably put me at risk!” the person wrote.

The police chief within the metropolis of Auburn, his earlier employer, relayed to Logan County that Grayson was very aggressive about making drug arrests and expressed concern that he was too aggressive. The chief additional stated Grayson was a “bragger” who as soon as posted on social media a couple of drug arrest.

The Auburn chief additionally famous that Grayson struggled with report writing and was “not nice” with proof – although the chief relayed that Grayson obtained no write-ups or punishment throughout his time at Auburn.

So, perhaps Sheriff Campbell’s apology to Massey’s household is about greater than how one division “failed the neighborhood.” Possibly his plea for “forgiveness” is a sign that the whole system of policing in America additionally owes an apology to communities throughout the nation, as a result of it’s merely approach too simple for dangerous cops to stay employed.

Sean Grayson ought to have been in search of a brand new line of labor, and Sonya Massey ought to nonetheless be alive as we speak. These two truths are immediately related, and that’s the true drawback.