Cop who shot Sonya Massey was kicked out of army for 'serious misconduct': report

A new report claims that former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, who has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Springfield, Illinois resident Sonya Massey, was discharged by the United States Army for "serious misconduct."

According to IPM News, military records obtained from one of Grayson's previous employers show that he was discharged from the military in 2016 for what was labeled as "Misconduct (Serious Offense)."

The records do not go into further detail about the nature of Grayson's offense, which took place at the Fort Riley Army installation in Kansas.

However, former Air Force prosecutor Andrew Ghiotto tells IPM News that a "serious" dischargeable offense is typically "an offense equivalent to something that would have led to at least a year of incarceration for a civilian."

In addition to this, NBC News is now reporting that Grayson has been employed by six different law enforcement agencies over the last four years, and that he twice pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol prior to working in law enforcement.

Many civil rights activists expressed outrage earlier this week when police released body camera footage showing the circumstances in which Grayson shot and killed the 36-year-old Massey, a Black woman who had called police to report what she described as a "prowler" in her neighborhood.

When Grayson and his partner entered Massey's home, they asked her to drop a pot of boiling water that she was holding.

After she refused, Grayson pulled out his weapon. Massey then put the pot down, raised her hands, and ducked to the ground, after which Grayson discharged his weapon.

Grayson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.