Sheriff to continue in position despite Pritzker's calls for resignation after Sonya Massey's murder

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said he will stay in his position despite Governor JB Pritzker's call for him to resign following the shooting death of Sonya Massey.

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Former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson shot and killed Massey inside her Springfield home in July after Massey called 911 to report a possible intruder.

The governor spoke on Wednesday at a bill signing press conference in Chicago.

"I called for the sheriff's resignation because the sheriff has failed," Pritzker said. "He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff who has been fired from other departments."

Pritzker also blasted Campbell for not meeting with Massey's family.

"I'm not saying that is a fire-able offense to not meet with them, but that seems outrageous to me; at a minimum listen to them, hear them and then hopefully take action," the governor said.

Hours after the governor called on the sheriff to resign, Campbell released a statement saying he is "prepared to continue leading."

"We need to unite and heal. The one responsible is in jail and will never work in law enforcement again," Campbell said. "Calls for my resignation are nothing more than political maneuvering during a tragic event and only hurt the good citizens of Sangamon County."

Campbell said Pritzker is playing politics, but the governor doubled down Wednesday afternoon at the Illinois State Fair.

"There have been signs up about saving him; not doing something about the murder of Sonya Massey but saving his political career. I think he is the one playing politics, it's time for him to go," Pritzker said.

Sean Grayson, the 30-year-old Sangamon County sheriff's deputy who has since been fired from the agency, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in connection with the July 6 shooting at Massey's home near Springfield.

Grayson has held six different jobs in law enforcement since 2020. He also had two DUIs on his record before entering law enforcement.

In an interview with ABC News last week, Campbell said Grayson's background did not strike him as a red flag.

"The fact that multiple agencies is a plus the way we look at it, he was not fired from any of them," Campbell said at the time.

Campbell said he was unaware of concerns from a previous employer. Records show a Logan County Sheriff's Office supervisor reprimanded Grayson for inaccuracies in police reports. Campbell said he never saw the records during his hiring process.

"We didn't file a FOIA request, we rely on it voluntarily to be given to us," he said.

ABC News has obtained records from his eleven-month tenure at The Logan County Sheriff's Office in Lincoln, Illinois.

The records include recordings between Grayson and his supervisors as they discuss inaccuracies in his police reports.

"We had this conversation. I told you in that meeting -- review all your reports, make sure they're right," the supervisor says in the recording.

READ ALSO | Audio recordings reveal deputy involved in Sonya Massey killing was scolded by previous supervisor

However, according to the paperwork, Grayson left the Logan County Sheriff's Office last year in "good standing."

ABC7 Chicago reached out to the governor's office regarding his statement that Grayson had been fired from his previous employers, they said Pritzker misspoke.

There has been no official record that Grayson was fired from any department.

Last week, Sheriff Campbell said his department "failed" Massey.

Read Campbell's full statement here:

"The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office continues to grieve for Sonya Massey and her family. While our grief cannot compare to the pain of the family, our office is trying to heal from within; All employees of the Sheriff's Office feel betrayed by one of their own.

On four separate occasions, I have requested to meet with the Massey family through intermediaries designated by the family. My requests have been rejected or not accepted. I am still willing to meet with the family.

The Sheriff's Office is willing to modify our hiring practices in order to prevent an incident like this from occurring again. However, before changes can be made, it is important to identify the problem. We have used a process that we believe was consistent with statewide standards. If these standards are deficient, we would advocate a change at all necessary levels.

We are working diligently to gather all the facts in order to make intelligent decisions and to avoid making changes that are unlikely to lead to meaningful results. I agree with the Governor's comments from yesterday, there are still questions. I have worked tirelessly to make all the facts available to the public as swiftly and transparently as possible.

I am committed to working with our community and elected leaders to improve not only the Sheriff's Office but also hiring standards on a statewide level to prevent a state agency from certifying a similar law enforcement officer six different times in the future.

We need to unite and heal. The one responsible is in jail and will never work in law enforcement again. Calls for my resignation are nothing more than political maneuvering during a tragic event and only hurt the good citizens of Sangamon County.

I was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Sheriff's Office through both good times and bad. I am fully prepared to continue leading my office and serving the residents of Sangamon County through this difficult period, ensuring we learn from this tragedy and work toward a better future."

CNN & ABC News contributed to this report.