Latest news with #SangamonCountyBoard
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
$10 million settlement approved in Illinois police shooting of Sonya Massey
CHICAGO — The family of a woman fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy outside Springfield last year that sparked protests around the nation will receive $10 million in a settlement approved by the Sangamon County Board. Sonya Massey was fatally shot July 6 by Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson during a confrontation inside her home. Grayson, who has been fired and is awaiting trial on murder charges in Massey's killing, worked for five law enforcement agencies and had been the subject of citizen complaints and criticism from superiors who questioned his competence before he was hired by the Sangamon County sheriff's office. 'He should have never been hired,' Massey's father, James Wilburn, said of Grayson during a virtual news conference Wednesday, which would have been Massey's 37th birthday. Wilburn said the case gives Illinois the opportunity to be 'leaders throughout the country' to ensure officers like him can't easily go from one police department to another. Records show before the Sangamon County sheriff's office hired Grayson in 2023, the office spoke with some of the law enforcement agencies that previously employed him and those agencies questioned his abilities as an officer, saying he needed more training. The issue of whether to certify or decertify police officers was addressed in a series of state criminal justice reforms known as the SAFE-T Act that were passed in 2021. But observers questioned the effectiveness of that effort following Massey's killing. Earlier this month, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, a Chicago Democrat, introduced legislation that would require a task force composed of appointees by the governor and legislative leaders to identify certain measures to ensure unfit candidates are not hired as law enforcement officers and explore strategies to prevent unnecessary deaths caused by police. The task force would also be required to issue a report to the Illinois General Assembly no later than June 30, 2026, with recommendations for preventing people with 'dangerous backgrounds' from being hired as law enforcement. The legislation would also prohibit law enforcement from hiring an officer 'without reviewing background disciplinary actions, terminations, and administrative review from previous employers.' At Wednesday's news conference, Slaughter, who was also the main House sponsor of the SAFE-T Act, said his latest legislation would ensure potential problem officers get scrutinized more appropriately by prospective employers. 'Ultimately we can build trust with law enforcement between all the citizens of Illinois,' Slaughter said. 'This is about building trust so that we can enhance and improve public safety.' Another piece of legislation introduced earlier this month by state Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat, would prohibit law enforcement agencies from offering anyone a job as a cop if the applicant fails to authorize previous departments they have worked for to make their employment records available. Massey was shot after Grayson and another deputy officer responded to a 911 call about a possible prowler outside Massey's home. When Grayson, who is white, and the other deputy officer arrived, Massey, who was Black, took a few minutes to answer the door and appeared confused. Her family has said she had mental health issues. The two officers said they didn't find anyone around her home. Inside, a conversation ensued over a pot of boiling water on Massey's stove that she picked up at some point. According to body camera footage, Massey said, 'Oh, I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,' before Grayson angrily replied, 'You better (expletive) not. I swear to God. I'll (expletive) shoot you right in your (expletive) face.' Grayson then demanded that Massey drop the pot before shooting her. The Sangamon County coroner's office said she died of a gunshot wound to the head. Grayson, who remains in custody, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. At Wednesday's news conference, Massey family attorney Antonio Romanucci emphasized the need for changes in how law enforcement officers are screened, hired and how much information is shared between police departments about their backgrounds. 'That pot of water that was on the stove was never, ever a threat to Sean Grayson or anyone else in that room,' Romanucci said. 'Instead, Sean Grayson was a ticking time bomb and no one should be surprised that this unfit officer eventually cost someone their life.' The Massey family was also represented by Ben Crump, who has represented families in other high-profile killings by law enforcement, including George Floyd's in 2020. 'We pray for her family as they continue this journey,' Crump said. 'We pray for this county and the state as we continue this journey. We pray for America as we continue this journey now more than ever to deal with these constitutional failures.' _____
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
$10M settlement approved in downstate police shooting of Sonya Massey
The family of a woman fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy outside Springfield last year that sparked protests around the nation will receive $10 million in a settlement approved by the Sangamon County Board. Sonya Massey was fatally shot July 6 by Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson during a confrontation inside her home. Grayson, who has been fired and is awaiting trial on murder charges in Massey's killing, worked for five law enforcement agencies and had been the subject of citizen complaints and criticism from superiors who questioned his competence before he was hired by the Sangamon County sheriff's office. 'He should have never been hired,' Massey's father, James Wilburn, said of Grayson during a virtual news conference Wednesday, which would have been Massey's 37th birthday. Wilburn said the case gives Illinois the opportunity to be 'leaders throughout the country' to ensure officers like him can't easily go from one police department to another. Records show before the Sangamon County sheriff's office hired Grayson in 2023, the office spoke with some of the law enforcement agencies that previously employed him and those agencies questioned his abilities as an officer, saying he needed more training. The issue of whether to certify or decertify police officers was addressed in a series of state criminal justice reforms known as the SAFE-T Act that were passed in 2021. But observers questioned the effectiveness of that effort following Massey's killing. Earlier this month, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, a Chicago Democrat, introduced legislation that would require a task force composed of appointees by the governor and legislative leaders to identify certain measures to ensure unfit candidates are not hired as law enforcement officers and explore strategies to prevent unnecessary deaths caused by police. The task force would also be required to issue a report to the Illinois General Assembly no later than June 30, 2026, with recommendations for preventing people with 'dangerous backgrounds' from being hired as law enforcement. The legislation would also prohibit law enforcement from hiring an officer 'without reviewing background disciplinary actions, terminations, and administrative review from previous employers.' At Wednesday's news conference, Slaughter, who was also the main House sponsor of the SAFE-T Act, said his latest legislation would ensure potential problem officers get scrutinized more appropriately by prospective employers. 'Ultimately we can build trust with law enforcement between all the citizens of Illinois,' Slaughter said. 'This is about building trust so that we can enhance and improve public safety.' Another piece of legislation introduced earlier this month by state Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat, would prohibit law enforcement agencies from offering anyone a job as a cop if the applicant fails to authorize previous departments they have worked for to make their employment records available. Massey was shot after Grayson and another deputy officer responded to a 911 call about a possible prowler outside Massey's home. When Grayson, who is white, and the other deputy officer arrived, Massey, who was Black, took a few minutes to answer the door and appeared confused. Her family has said she had mental health issues. The two officers said they didn't find anyone around her home. Inside, a conversation ensued over a pot of boiling water on Massey's stove that she picked up at some point. According to body camera footage, Massey said, 'Oh, I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,' before Grayson angrily replied, 'You better (expletive) not. I swear to God. I'll (expletive) shoot you right in your (expletive) face.' Grayson then demanded that Massey drop the pot before shooting her. The Sangamon County coroner's office said she died of a gunshot wound to the head. Grayson, who remains in custody, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. At Wednesday's news conference, Massey family attorney Antonio Romanucci emphasized the need for changes in how law enforcement officers are screened, hired and how much information is shared between police departments about their backgrounds. 'That pot of water that was on the stove was never, ever a threat to Sean Grayson or anyone else in that room,' Romanucci said. 'Instead, Sean Grayson was a ticking time bomb and no one should be surprised that this unfit officer eventually cost someone their life.' The Massey family was also represented by Ben Crump, who has represented families in other high-profile killings by law enforcement, including George Floyd's in 2020. 'We pray for her family as they continue this journey,' Crump said. 'We pray for this county and the state as we continue this journey. We pray for America as we continue this journey now more than ever to deal with these constitutional failures.'
Chicago Tribune
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
$10M settlement approved in downstate police shooting of Sonya Massey
The family of a woman fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy outside Springfield last year that sparked protests around the nation will receive $10 million in a settlement approved by the Sangamon County Board. Sonya Massey was fatally shot July 6 by Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson during a confrontation inside her home. Grayson, who has been fired and is awaiting trial on murder charges in Massey's killing, worked for five law enforcement agencies and had been the subject of citizen complaints and criticism from superiors who questioned his competence before he was hired by the Sangamon County sheriff's office. 'He should have never been hired,' Massey's father, James Wilburn, said of Grayson during a virtual news conference Wednesday, which would have been Massey's 37th birthday. Wilburn said the case gives Illinois the opportunity to be 'leaders throughout the country' to ensure officers like him can't easily go from one police department to another. Records show before the Sangamon County sheriff's office hired Grayson in 2023, the office spoke with some of the law enforcement agencies that previously employed him and those agencies questioned his abilities as an officer, saying he needed more training. The issue of whether to certify or decertify police officers was addressed in a series of state criminal justice reforms known as the SAFE-T Act that were passed in 2021. But observers questioned the effectiveness of that effort following Massey's killing. Earlier this month, state Rep. Justin Slaughter, a Chicago Democrat, introduced legislation that would require a task force composed of appointees by the governor and legislative leaders to identify certain measures to ensure unfit candidates are not hired as law enforcement officers and explore strategies to prevent unnecessary deaths caused by police. The task force would also be required to issue a report to the Illinois General Assembly no later than June 30, 2026, with recommendations for preventing people with 'dangerous backgrounds' from being hired as law enforcement. The legislation would also prohibit law enforcement from hiring an officer 'without reviewing background disciplinary actions, terminations, and administrative review from previous employers.' At Wednesday's news conference, Slaughter, who was also the main House sponsor of the SAFE-T Act, said his latest legislation would ensure potential problem officers get scrutinized more appropriately by prospective employers. 'Ultimately we can build trust with law enforcement between all the citizens of Illinois,' Slaughter said. 'This is about building trust so that we can enhance and improve public safety.' Another piece of legislation introduced earlier this month by state Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat, would prohibit law enforcement agencies from offering anyone a job as a cop if the applicant fails to authorize previous departments they have worked for to make their employment records available. Massey was shot after Grayson and another deputy officer responded to a 911 call about a possible prowler outside Massey's home. When Grayson, who is white, and the other deputy officer arrived, Massey, who was Black, took a few minutes to answer the door and appeared confused. Her family has said she had mental health issues. The two officers said they didn't find anyone around her home. Inside, a conversation ensued over a pot of boiling water on Massey's stove that she picked up at some point. According to body camera footage, Massey said, 'Oh, I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,' before Grayson angrily replied, 'You better (expletive) not. I swear to God. I'll (expletive) shoot you right in your (expletive) face.' Grayson then demanded that Massey drop the pot before shooting her. The Sangamon County coroner's office said she died of a gunshot wound to the head. Grayson, who remains in custody, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. At Wednesday's news conference, Massey family attorney Antonio Romanucci emphasized the need for changes in how law enforcement officers are screened, hired and how much information is shared between police departments about their backgrounds. 'That pot of water that was on the stove was never, ever a threat to Sean Grayson or anyone else in that room,' Romanucci said. 'Instead, Sean Grayson was a ticking time bomb and no one should be surprised that this unfit officer eventually cost someone their life.' The Massey family was also represented by Ben Crump, who has represented families in other high-profile killings by law enforcement, including George Floyd's in 2020. 'We pray for her family as they continue this journey,' Crump said. 'We pray for this county and the state as we continue this journey. We pray for America as we continue this journey now more than ever to deal with these constitutional failures.'
New York Times
12-02-2025
- New York Times
Illinois County to Pay $10 Million After Fatal Shooting of Black Woman
An Illinois county has agreed to pay $10 million to the family of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was fatally shot by a white sheriff's deputy last year after she called 911 because she thought a prowler was outside her home. The Sangamon County Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the settlement following intensive negotiations with representatives of Ms. Massey's family, it said. 'No price paid can take back the actions of a rogue former deputy, but this agreement is an effort to provide some measure of recompense to the Massey family for their unimaginable loss,' Andy Van Meter, the board chairman, said in a statement on Wednesday. 'The county remains committed to working with the community to strengthen policies to try to ensure tragedies like this never happen again.' Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Massey family, called the settlement 'bittersweet.' He said in an online news conference that the family was also seeking legislative changes and a criminal conviction of Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy who has been charged with murdering Ms. Massey, 36, in her home in Springfield, Ill., on July 6, 2024. Ms. Massey's family has said that she was experiencing a mental health crisis when she called 911 to report a prowler outside her home. A day earlier, Ms. Massey's mother, Donna Massey, called 911 to say that her daughter was having a mental breakdown and asked the police to recognize that she was in a vulnerable state. 'I don't want you guys to hurt her, please,' she told a dispatcher. When Mr. Grayson and another deputy responded to Sonya Massey's call the next day, they searched outside her home and then followed her inside. After she provided the deputies with identification, she went to the kitchen, removed a pot of water from the stove and put it on the counter. As she was handling the pot, several feet from the deputies, Ms. Massey told them, 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,' body camera footage shows. Mr. Grayson told Ms. Massey that she 'better not,' using expletives, and threatened to shoot her in the face. Seeing the gun, Ms. Massey put her hands in the air and said, 'I'm sorry' while ducking behind the counter, prosecutors said. Mr. Grayson approached the counter with his gun, and Ms. Massey stood up, grabbed the pot and tossed out the water, they said. Mr. Grayson fired three shots, striking Ms. Massey once in the face, prosecutors said. He then discouraged his colleague from getting a medical kit from his vehicle because of the severity of Ms. Massey's injury, prosecutors said. The second deputy still rendered aid and stayed with Ms. Massey until help arrived, prosecutors said. Mr. Grayson, who was fired after the shooting, was charged in July with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty. The Sangamon County sheriff, Jack Campbell, resigned in August under pressure from Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and members of the public, who had called on him to step down. Mr. Campbell had hired Mr. Grayson, even though he knew that the deputy had two convictions for driving under the influence, including one that had led to his premature discharge from the Army in February 2016, according to personnel records released by the county. Ms. Massey's father, James Wilburn, said at the news conference on Wednesday that the family was urging Illinois lawmakers to strengthen background checks for prospective police officers. Mr. Wilburn said the deputy who shot his daughter 'should have never been hired.' Last month, just days before President Trump took office, the Justice Department resolved a civil rights investigation into Sangamon County's policing practices that it had opened after the shooting. The department said it had not found that the county was providing police services in a discriminatory manner. Still, as part of an agreement to end the investigation, the Justice Department said that the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office and emergency dispatch operation must review and update their policies and training. The county must also create a mobile crisis team that includes trained behavioral health staff. At the family's news conference with Mr. Crump on Wednesday, Raymond Massey, Sonya Massey's uncle, said her death had 'affected our family in ways that are unimaginable.' 'We know that this is the beginning of the fight,' he said. 'And we're willing to do the work and put the work in until we seek full justice for the murder of Sonya.'
NBC News
12-02-2025
- NBC News
$10 million settlement in Sonya Massey shooting case gets final approval
Officials in Sangamon County, Illinois, have agreed to a $10 million settlement with the family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot and k i lled i n her home last summer after she called police for assistance. The agreement reached last week between lawyers for Massey's family and attorneys representing the county was unanimously approved Tuesday evening by the Sangamon County Board. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey's family, held a virtual news conference Wednesday on what would have been her 37th birthday. Crump said it 'is only the first step in the journey for justice.' He and Antonio Romanucci, another family attorney, called the settlement 'historic.' 'It's our understanding that this, by far, is the largest settlement reached in Sangamon County of any kind, let alone a civil rights case such as this one,' Romanucci said. He pushed back against criticism that the amount was too low, saying it came to 50% of the sheriff's office's annual budget. 'This settlement is magnanimous, and it's very relevant, and it's very significant, because, as Ben knows, we're not in Minneapolis, we're not in Memphis, we're not in Louisville,' he said, referring to other cities where he and Crump have negotiated or are negotiating settlements for the families of Black people killed by police. 'We're in Sangamon County.' The county administrator did not immediately return a request for comment. Massey called 911 early on the morning of July 6 to report a suspected prowler outside her home. Then-Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy, who has not been identified, responded, according to body-camera footage. Grayson, who is white, pointed out a pot of boiling water on the stove, and as Massey retrieved it and was handling the pot, she twice said, 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.' Grayson yelled at her to drop the pot, and as she ducked, he fired three shots at her, one of which struck her beneath her left eye. Grayson said in a report written three days after the shooting that he feared 'great bodily harm' or death because Massey said, 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.' Prior to the shooting, Grayson had worked for six law enforcement agencies in central Illinois in four years. Nearly two weeks after Massey's killing, he was fired and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail. His attorney declined to comment on Wednesday. Sonya Massey's father, James Wilburn, said at Wednesday's news conference that Sangamon County and the other agencies where Grayson worked were responsible for his daughter's death. Records obtained by NBC News indicate documented issues with Grayson's performance at some of his previous employers. 'I think he should have never been hired,' Wilburn said. The sheriff's office did not immediately return a request for comment. The day before the shooting, Massey's mother, Donna Massey, had called 911 seeking help for her daughter, who she was concerned the police might try to hurt, Donna Massey told a dispatcher in recordings released by the sheriff's department. After her killing, Massey's name joined a growing list of Black residents fatally shot in their homes by police across the country, including Botham Jean in 2018, Atatiana Jefferson in 2019 and Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson last year. Massey's fatal shooting also forced the premature retirement of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who hired Grayson, after residents and Gov. JB Pritzker called on him to step down. Pritzker said at the time that Campbell had failed at his job because he hired Grayson despite documented issues with Grayson's performance at previous agencies. Grayson's employment history, and two DUIs convictions, in 2015 and 2016, led Massey's family and others to question why he was allowed to work in law enforcement. The 2015 conviction led to his premature discharge from the Army the following year. The Massey case prompted a memorandum of agreement between the U.S. Justice Department and the sheriff's office, in which the county pledged a series of changes, including more training, updates to policies pertaining to nondiscriminatory policing and the reporting of use-of-force data. The DOJ found no discriminatory practices by the sheriff's office or the county's emergency dispatch operation in connection with Massey's death.
