Off-duty corrections officer fatally shot while trying to help woman being beaten, authorities say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Gray News/WBTV) - Authorities say an off-duty Florida corrections officer was fatally shot while trying to help a stranger who was being beaten in a suspected incident of domestic violence.

The U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force arrested 29-year-old Demaurea Grant on Sunday morning in Gastonia, North Carolina, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He is accused of fatally shooting off-duty JSO Corrections Officer Brad McNew the day before at a Love’s Travel Stop in Jacksonville, Florida.

Deputies say McNew had just finished his shift around 1:20 a.m. Saturday when he allegedly witnessed Grant assaulting a woman at the truck stop. The corrections officer tried to check on the victim before Grant shot and killed him, according to authorities.

McNew had been with JSO for about 24 years. He is described on a GoFundMe set up for his family as "a dedicated public servant, a loving husband and father, and a friend to all who knew him."

WBTV reports Grant was arrested around 7:30 a.m. Sunday following a nationwide manhunt, according to the Gastonia Police Department.

“Today’s arrest is about accountability, accountability for a person who senselessly took the life of a man who was attempting to help another human being in suffering,” said Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters at a news conference later that day.

Waters says Grant’s charges include murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated assault with a firearm. He is being held without bond as he awaits extradition to Florida.

The investigation is ongoing. Detectives are interviewing the woman involved in the incident.

Copyright 2024 Gray Local Media, Inc and WBTV. All rights reserved.