Off-duty corrections officer shot and killed while trying to help battered woman, 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 during an alleged domestic violence incident .

The U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force arrested Demaurea Grant, 29, Sunday morning in Gastonia, North Carolina, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He is accused of fatally shooting off-duty JSO Correctional 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 saw Grant assault a woman at the truck stop. The corrections officer attempted to check on the victim before Grant shot and killed him, authorities said.

McNew had been with JSO for approximately 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 involves the senseless killing of a man who was trying to help another suffering human being,” Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said during the a press conference later today.

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 bail pending extradition to Florida.

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

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