Records show deputy charged in Sonya Massey's fatal shooting worked for 6 agencies in 4 years

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The former sheriff's deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman killed inside her Illinois home, had been employed by a half-dozen police agencies since 2020, according to state law enforcement records.

Sean Grayson's career included short stints as a part-time officer at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth department as well as working full time at two sheriff's offices, all in central Illinois.

Grayson, 30, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges in the July 6 killing. He was fired last week by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said Massey had called 911 to report a suspected prowler. Two deputies eventually showed up at her house in Springfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Sheriff's body camera video released Monday confirmed prosecutors’ earlier account of the tense moment when Grayson yelled across a counter at Massey to set down a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and briefly rose, and Grayson fired his pistol at her. Massey was hit three times, with a fatal shot to her head.

James Wilburn, Massey’s father, called for Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign.

“I want to tell y’all the sheriff here is an embarrassment,” Wilburn said. “This man (Grayson) should have never had a badge. And he should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.”

A telephone message was left with Campbell's office.

The Associated Press is seeking Grayson's employment history from the six agencies.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired part time on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He also was hired part time on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department.

Two months later, he was hired full time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023, and was hired full time on May 1, 2023, by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

He received his part-time Law Enforcement Certification on June 5, 2021, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. His certification status currently reads as suspended on the board’s website.

Grayson's attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined comment.

Wilburn and Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, met with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at a Baptist church Tuesday morning.

“They understood that oftentimes the Sonya Masseys of the world don’t get due process of the law. And that they were committed to saying this would be a fair and transparent investigation and process at every level,” said noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family.

The family wants Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, both of which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the legislation died in the Senate. The first aims to crack down on police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement, while the voting rights act would require local jurisdictions to seek federal approval before changing voting laws.

“Every member of Congress needs to vote today so that nobody else in this United States of America has to go through what we’re going through," Wilburn said.

In a statement released Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said she is joining President Joe Biden in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe," Harris said. “After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many — we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name."

Massey’s oldest child, 17-year-old Malachi Hill Massey, said he watched the beginning the body camera video of the shooting of his mother but didn’t finish it.

“I don’t have no words for this,” Malachi Massey said.

Grayson was being held without bond in the Sangamon County Jail. If convicted, he faces prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery and two to five years for misconduct.

Williams reported from Detroit, Michigan.

This booking photo provided by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office shows Sean Grayson, on July 17, 2024, in Springfield, Ill. Grayson, an Illinois sheriff’s deputy, has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman inside her home. (Sangamon County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police on Monday, July 22, 2024, former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, left, points his gun at Sonya Massey, who called 911 for help, before shooting and killing her inside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP)

James Wilburn, father of Sonya Massey, speaks to reporters in Springfield, Ill. on Monday, July 22, 2024. A former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy has been charged with murder after shooting Massey inside her home while responding to a 911 call on July 6. (AP Photo/John O'Connor)

FILE - Sonya Massey's home, the scene of her fatal shooting, stands Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Springfield, Ill. Prosecutors have charged a sheriff's deputy with Massey's murder. Sean Grayson is accused of shooting the Black woman in the face on July 6, 2024, while responding to her report of an intruder at her home. (AP Photo/John O'Connor, File)

This undated photo provided by the family's lawyers in July 2024 shows Sonya Massey of Springfield, Ill. Prosecutors have charged Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson with murdering Massey while responding to an emergency call at her home July 6, 2024, saying in court records that he shot her in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water in her home. (Courtesy Ben Crump Law via AP)

Malachi Hill Massey, 17, center, speaks at a news conference on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at the NAACP headquarters in Springfield, Ill., about his mother, Sonya Massey, who was shot to death by a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy on July 6 in Springfield after calling 911 for help. On the left is civil right attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Massey family. On the right is Sonya Massey's daughter, Jeanette Summer Massey, 15. (AP Photo/John O'Connor)

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. Footage released Monday, July 22, by a prosecutor reveals a chaotic scene in which Massey, who called 911 for help, is shot in the face in her home by Grayson. (Illinois State Police via AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government said Saturday that Brazil can no longer represent Argentina’s diplomatic interests in the country, putting at risk several anti-government opponents who have holed up for months in the Argentine ambassador’s residence seeking asylum.

Venezuela's foreign ministry said in a statement it had notified Brazil of its decision, which will take effect immediately. It said it was forced to take action based on what it called evidence — which it hasn't shared — that those who sought refuge in Argentina's diplomatic mission were conspiring to carry out “terrorist” acts including the assassination of President Nicolas Maduro and his vice president.

Magalli Meda, the former campaign chief of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was among a half dozen government opponents who fled to the Argentina ambassador’s residence after Maduro’s chief prosecutor in March issued an order for her arrest for allegedly propagating destabilizing, political violence.

In retaliation, Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with Argentine President Javier Milei’s right-wing government, which tapped neighbor Brazil to represent its interests and safeguard the asylum seekers.

Brazil's foreign ministry, in a statement, said it was “surprised” by Venezuela's decision. Under the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations, Argentina must now name a substitute custodian acceptable to Venezuela's government, the foreign ministry said. Meanwhile, Brazil will remain responsible for the diplomatic mission, whose physical integrity cannot be violated, the statement said.

Since Friday, armored vehicles from the SEBIN political police have been parked outside the Argentina ambassador’s residence in a leafy Caracas neighborhood. Electricity to the diplomatic mission was also cut, according to Meda, who has taken to social media to denounce what she fears is an impending raid to arrest her and the other government opponents.

Argentina's president has been among those leading the charge against Maduro over alleged attempts to steal July's presidential election. Electoral authorities pronounced Maduro the winner despite strong evidence collected at the ballot boxes by the opposition that it prevailed by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

On Saturday, Milei’s government blasted Venezuela’s “unilateral action.” It also expressed gratitude for Brazil’s continued representation of its interests, indicating it wasn’t in any rush to find a replacement.

In a statement, the foreign ministry said any attempt to raid its ambassadorial residence, and “kidnap” its asylees, would be condemned by the international community.

“Actions like these reinforce the conviction that in Maduro’s Venezuela the fundamental rights of human beings are not respected,” the foreign ministry said.

Brazil has also refused to recognize Maduro as the victor, demanding instead that authorities release a breakdown of results, as is customary in Venezuelan elections.

But unlike Milei, a strident conservative ideologue, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has gingerly tried to avoid antagonizing Maduro to give space for a regional reconciliation effort led by him and fellow leftist leaders from Colombia and Mexico.

That diplomatic effort has so far yielded few results, prompting observers to question its utility. Meanwhile, police have arrested more than 2,400 people in a brutal crackdown on protests and dissent.

This past week, Human Rights Watch issued a report connecting security forces and pro-government armed groups to the killing of several of the 23 protesters who died during the protests. The report was based on forensic analysis of videos shared on social media as well as interviews with witnesses.

Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman contributed to this report from Miami.

Police guard Argentina's embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)