EXCLUSIVE: Ex-deputy who killed Sonya Massey had history of complaints involving women

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The sheriff's deputy charged with fatally shooting Sonya Massey in the face has been the subject of several complaints alleging belligerent behavior toward women, a USA TODAY review of public records shows.

Despite the complaints, Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean P. Grayson was never prohibited from working in law enforcement and moved from one police agency to another, the records show, calling into question how he got the job he held when Massey was shot.

The July 6 killing of Massey has sparked national outcry over police brutality, coast-to-coast demonstrations and a federal probe by the Justice Department.

The hiring practices of the sheriff's department have also been under fire from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who earlier this week formally called for Sangamon Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign, expressing frustration with how the sheriff has responded to Massey's death. Amid the growing pressure and questions about Grayson's hiring, Campbell said on Friday he will step down and retire.

Springfield city leaders are calling for a review of the department's hiring practices in the wake of Massey's killing.

Springfield Board member Kevin McGuire called for an outside investigative team to look at the sheriff's department's hiring practices. "I would say that's paramount," McGuire said.

Among the complaints against Grayson that are on file in Illinois is an allegation by a former inmate at the Logan County Jail, who wrote in an official complaint filed in December 2022 that Grayson ordered her to expose herself to him.

“I felt very violated,” said Chelsey Lowe, an inmate confronted by Grayson in a drug search. Grayson denied the accusation and resigned from the Logan County sheriff’s office before the complaint was formally investigated.

With investigators no longer pursuing the complaint, Grayson in May 2023 joined the Sangamon sheriff's office, where he was employed when he went to Massey's home and shot the 36-year-old mother of two in her kitchen last month. He now faces three first-degree murder charges and has been fired.

The ex-deputy also faced accusations from his former wife in divorce proceedings that he treated her with "repeated acts of mental cruelty." A separate citizen complaint against Grayson in May alleged that he unlawfully tried to intimidate a 17-year-old girl while trying to enter a house without having obtained a warrant, yelling at her and threatening to "put her in cuffs" if she didn't let him inside. The complaint was found not sustained by one of Grayson's fellow officers.

USA TODAY’s review of public records about Grayson’s years in law enforcement and from his personal life comes amid national outrage and calls for police reform over the killing of the Black woman on July 6.

Grayson's criminal history also show he had two DUIs and a questionable discharge from the military.