(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) – The sheriff of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, which employed the former deputy accused of shooting Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 to report a burglar, will retire later this month, he announced in a statement Friday.

“As elected leaders, we must always put the common good above ourselves; and I will not jeopardize the community I am sworn to protect. For that reason, I am announcing my resignation as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31,” Sheriff Jack Campbell said in the statement.

Campbell was responsible for the hiring of Sean Grayson, the former deputy who was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and abuse of office in connection with Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody.

A review by the Illinois State Police determined that Grayson’s use of deadly force was not justified. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges against him were filed.

Grayson’s position in Sangamon County was one of six different police positions he has held over the past four years.

Before joining Sangamon, Grayson worked for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for just under a year. According to audio files obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s boss at the time, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, raised concerns that Grayson had violated department policy and filed false reports when discussing his mismanagement of a traffic case.

Campbell had previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was unaware of the incident when Grayson was hired. Without knowledge of his disciplinary issues in Logan County, Campbell said Grayson did not exhibit any warning signs.

Before his time in the public police force, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.

ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with drunken driving twice in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court records.

In an interview with ABC News last week, Campbell insisted on his department’s review process and said at the time that he would not resign despite calls for Massey’s family to resign.

On Friday, he said it had become “clear that the current political climate has made it almost impossible for me to continue to perform my role effectively.”

“Some people would rather see our community divided and in turmoil than allow me to continue serving as sheriff,” he said. “The health of myself and my family, the sheriff’s office and our community must be my priority.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker had called on Campbell to resign over Grayson’s hiring.

“I’ve called for the sheriff’s resignation because he failed,” Pritzker said at an event on Wednesday, according to ABC Chicago station WLS. “He didn’t explain how he came to hire this deputy who was fired from other departments.”

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, called Campbell’s resignation “a turning point in the ongoing pursuit of justice.”

“While the pain of their loss is still fresh, Sonya’s family is prepared to work with the outgoing sheriff for the remainder of his term to heal the community and seek full justice for Sonya,” Crump said in a statement. “The Massey family also hopes to work with the next Sangamon County Sheriff to investigate how this tragedy occurred and to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again in this community.”

Campbell, who was elected sheriff in 2018, told ABC News he was “horrified” by the incident involving Massey.

Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to a 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at their Springfield home.

Body camera footage shows the unarmed Massey telling the two officers who responded to the call, “Please don’t hurt me,” as she answered the knock on her door.

Grayson replied, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”

Later in the video, while looking for her ID in Massey’s house, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”

Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson then yells at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows. Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly stands up, at which point Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.

Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released this week by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

“While on scene, I feared that Dep. (redacted) and I would sustain serious physical injury or be killed. Fearing for our safety and lives, I fired my service weapon,” Grayson wrote in his incident report.

Grayson’s defense attorneys have asked for his release from prison before trial. In a motion filed Thursday, they argued that he is currently undergoing cancer treatment and will not receive adequate care in the Menyard County Jail. They also stated that he poses no threat to Massey’s family.

A judge denied the request on Friday. ABC News has reached out to Grayson’s lawyers for comment.

The Menard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Grayson “receives no preferential treatment nor does he enjoy any privileges or benefits not available to other inmates of the Menard County Jail.”

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