The ex-Illinois deputy who shot Sonya Massey dead last month has been denied a pre-trial release from jail to treat colon cancer, according to The Independent.
A Sangamon County judge reportedly ruled that a “real and present threat” still remains if Sean Grayson is granted pre-trial release before standing trial for Massey’s murder. Grayson asked to be released from Menard County Jail because he claimed the facility would not adequately treat a number of his medical conditions, including colon cancer.
Grayson’s attorneys argued that he no longer posed a threat to the public because he no longer has access to firearms.
The judge’s decision comes after Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced that he would retire at the end of the month, after initially resisting public calls from civil rights leaders to step down.
In response to the July 6 incident, Campbell said his department had “failed Sonya.” Massey had called the police to report a prowler, but was shot three times by Grayson.
In a statement on Friday, Campbell said the “current political climate has made it nearly impossible” for him to do his job, reported local station WAND.