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Deputy who killed Sonya Massey was removed from the Army, had DUIs and needed ‘high stress decision’ classes, records sh...
31/07/2024

Deputy who killed Sonya Massey was removed from the Army, had DUIs and needed ‘high stress decision’ classes, records show

Years before sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson gunned down Sonya Massey in her own home, he had been discharged from the Army for serious misconduct and had a history of driving under the influence, records show.

He also failed to obey a command while working for another sheriff’s office in Illinois and was told he needed “high stress decision making classes,” the agency’s documents reveal.

Grayson, who was a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy before he was fired and charged with murder, responded to a report of a prowler at Massey’s home July 6. Bodycam footage from another deputy showed Massey saying she rebuked Grayson, and Grayson responded by threatening the 36-year-old. The exchange ended with Grayson shooting Massey and failing to render aid.

Massey’s death stirred memories of other Black women who have been killed by police in their homes in recent years, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson.

Massey’s autopsy report, which was publicly released Friday, said she was killed by a gunshot wound to her head.

Her family’s attorney emphasized the angle at which the deputy shot Massey.

Massey “was shot beneath her eye, and the bullet (exited) at the back of her neck, under her ear,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump told CNN. “What it tells us is that he shot her in a downward trajectory.”

When asked for comment Friday, Grayson’s attorney Daniel Fultz told CNN: “I don’t wish to comment.”

Grayson, 30, was indicted by a grand jury last week on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty and was denied pretrial release, according to court records.

As more details emerge about Grayson’s DUIs and previously documented incidents from the military and law enforcement, Massey’s family members are tormented.

They have one nagging question, their attorney Crump said: “Why was he even on the sheriff’s department in the first place?”

The Army discharged him after a serious offense, personnel file says

Grayson previously served in the US Army but was discharged due to “misconduct (serious offense),” according to a Department of Defense document included in Grayson’s personnel file during his time at the Kincaid Police Department in Illinois. The personnel file was obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB.

The document says Grayson was separated from the Army under a general discharge after he served as a private first class at Fort Riley in Kansas. The file did not detail the alleged misconduct.

CNN asked the Army for more details. In response, Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee wrote: “Sean P. Grayson was a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic) in the Regular Army from May 2014 to February 2016. He had no deployments and left the Army in the rank of private first class.”

Grayson was on the Kincaid police force for only three months before he was let go “because he refused to live within a 10-mile radius,” KSHB reported.

Grayson pleaded guilty to 2 DUIs before working at law enforcement agencies

Court records show Grayson was charged with two DUI misdemeanor offenses in Illinois’ Macoupin County – one in 2015 and the other in 2016.

The first incident occurred in August 2015. Grayson’s vehicle was impounded after he was charged with driving under the influence. He pleaded guilty and paid more than $1,320 in fines, according to court records.

In July 2016, Grayson was charged with another DUI. He pleaded guilty and paid more than $2,400 in fines, court records show.

Grayson acknowledged his DUI charges when he applied to be an officer at Auburn Police Department in Illinois in 2021. He worked there from July 2021 to May 2022, and CNN’s review of Grayson’s records there did not reveal any major problems or disciplinary issues.

In May 2022, Grayson started working at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, records show. He wrote the sheriff a brief letter detailing his “terrible decision to drink and drive.”

Grayson’s letter also said he lost his driving privileges for one year after pleading guilty to his second DUI, in 2016.

He needed to take ‘high stress decision making classes,’ one agency recommended

Grayson worked at six Illinois law enforcement agencies since 2020, records show. He started working part-time with Pawnee police in August 2020, followed by the Kincaid and Virden police departments. Then he started working full-time with Auburn police, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and finally the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May 2023.

A review of his employment records from the Auburn Police Department indicates why Grayson said he left previous positions. In some cases, he wanted to work full-time but could only get part-time hours. In another case, he said he didn’t want to move.

While Grayson did not appear to have any disciplinary issues while he was an Auburn police officer, records from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office said he needed to take “high stress decision making classes.” The recommendation came after Grayson failed to slow down after his boss called off a vehicle pursuit. Grayson was driving about 110 mph before striking a deer, the records say.

“Deputy Grayson pursued the truck through Lincoln at a high rate of speed, reaching speeds of 63/30 MPH zone and, in my opinion, failed to show due caution while driving through stop intersections,” a Logan County chief deputy wrote in the file.

Grayson’s supervisor “terminated the pursuit,” and Grayson turned off his emergency lights, the report states. But Grayson “continued at a high rate of speed (110/55 mph zone) prior to striking the deer.”

“Deputy Grayson acknowledged he lacks experience,” the report said. It also listed a series of recommendations, including “additional traffic stop training, report writing training, high stress decision making classes, and needs to read, understand and discuss issued Logan County Sheriff’s Office Policy.”

It was not immediately clear if Grayson followed through with those recommendations. He resigned from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office in April 2023. The next month, he joined the sheriff’s office in Sangamon County – where he would later have the fatal encounter with Massey.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell fired Grayson after Massey’s death.

“Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson,” Campbell said in a statement Monday.

“Grayson had other options available that he should have used. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office.”

‘He had no regard for my mom’

Massey’s 17-year-old son, Malachi, must now live the rest of his life without his mother.

He said his mom was a “ball of energy” who always reminded him to read his Bible.

“She’s the person who taught me how to love,” Malachi told CNN.

The teen said he’s so grief-stricken by his mother’s death that he can’t describe the pain.

“I really don’t have words,” he said. “I feel sick.”

Bodycam footage from the night of his mother’s death initially showed a calm encounter between Massey, Grayson and another deputy.

When the deputies were inside the home speaking with Massey, they noted a pot of boiling water on the lit stove. Massey got up and went to the kitchen to turn off the heat and take the pot off the stove.

“We don’t need a fire while we’re here,” one deputy said.
When Massey picked up the pot, the other deputy stepped back – “away from your hot steaming water,” he said.

“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey replied.

“Huh?” the deputy responded.

“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said.

“You better f**king not,” Grayson replied, “or I swear to God I’ll f**king shoot you in the f**king face.”

Grayson then drew his gun and pointed it at Massey. She ducked and said, “I’m sorry” while lifting the pot, the video shows.

“Drop the f**king pot!” both deputies yelled. Then three shots are heard.

After Massey was mortally wounded, the other deputy said he was going to get a medical kit to help. Grayson replied: “Nah, she’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot.”

Later, Grayson spoke to a group of law enforcement officers outside. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said on the bodycam footage. “This f**king b*tch is crazy.”

Massey’s son said he wants Grayson locked up behind bars for as long as possible.

“He had no regard for my mom,” Malachi said. “So we need to have no regard for him.”

Authorities release footage of Illinois deputy Sean Grayson k*lling 36-year-old Sonya Massey who called the police becau...
23/07/2024

Authorities release footage of Illinois deputy Sean Grayson k*lling 36-year-old Sonya Massey who called the police because she thought someone tried breaking into her home.

Horrific.

Massey, who was a paranoid-schizophrenic, was told to take boiling water off the stove by officers.

When she went over, Massey asked why the officers were backing up, to which they responded: "Away from your hot steaming water."

Massey appeared to threaten to throw the water on the officers which is when they pulled out their guns.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Massey said as she quickly apologized.

Grayson, who later said he thought she was going to throw the water at him, then shot her three times, one hitting her under the eye which exited out her neck.

Grayson was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree m*rder. He is being held without bond.

President Biden ends his campaign, endorses Harris who praises his ‘patriotic’ decisionBY  THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPresident...
21/07/2024

President Biden ends his campaign, endorses Harris who praises his ‘patriotic’ decision

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.
Biden’s decision came on the heels of a poor debate performance that prompted many rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers to urge him to withdraw from the race.


Say what!!??Nikki Haley in her own words: Why America ‘has never been a racist country’A campaign spokesman for Haley la...
20/01/2024

Say what!!??

Nikki Haley in her own words: Why America ‘has never been a racist country’

A campaign spokesman for Haley later reiterated the former governor’s position, telling CNN:

“America has always had racism, but America has never been a racist country. The liberal media always fails to get that distinction. It can throw a fit, but that doesn’t change Nikki’s belief that America is special because its people are always striving to do better and live up to our founding ideals of freedom and equality.”

“I will tell you, when you look at the Declaration of Independence, it was that ‘men are created equal’ with unalienable rights, right? That is what we all knew.

But what I look at it as, is I was a brown girl that grew up in a small rural town. We had plenty of racism that we had to deal with. But my parents never said we lived in a racist country. And I’m so thankful that they didn’t.

Because for every brown and Black child out there, if you tell them they live or born in a racist country, you’re immediately telling them they don’t have a chance. And my parents would always say, ‘You may have challenges. And yes, there will be people who are racist. But that doesn’t define what you can do in this country.’ And so, I think it is important that we tell all kids that, ‘Look, America is not perfect, we have our stains, we know that, but our goal should always be to make today better than yesterday. It’s hugely important.

And that’s the problem that I have. We have too many people with this national self-loathing – it is killing our country. We have got to go back to loving America.

We are blessed because that little brown girl in that small, rural town in South Carolina, she grew up to become the first female minority governor in history. She then went on to become UN Ambassador and now she’s running for president of the United States. I want every brown and Black child to see that and say, ‘No, I don’t live in a country that was formed on racism. I live in a country where they wanted all people to be equal. And to make sure that they have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’”

After brief applause, Tapper again pressed Haley, noting she was discussing the ideals of the United States, but that the country was founded “institutionally on many racist precepts, including slavery.”

“But when you look at, it said, ‘all men are created equal,’” Haley said.

“I think the intent, the intent was to do the right thing. Now, did they have to go fix it along the way? Yes. But I don’t think the intent was ever that we were going to be a racist country.

The intent was everybody was going to be created equally. And as we went through time, they fixed the things that were not, ‘all men are created equal.’ They made sure women became equal too. All of these things happened over time.

But I refuse to believe that the premise of when they formed our country was based on the fact that it was a racist country to start with. I refuse to believe that. I have to know, in my heart and in everybody’s heart, that we live in the best country in the world, and we are a work in progress. And we have a long way to go to fix all of our little kinks.

But I truly believe our Founding Fathers had the best of intentions when they started and we fixed it along the way. And we should always look at it that way.”

https://cnn.it/3ObmDk9

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