Off-duty corrections officer shot dead while trying to help a woman who was being beaten, authorities say

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

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.

Cops 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 attempted to check on the victim before Grant shot and killed him, authorities said.

Authorities say Jacksonville Sheriff's Office corrections officer Brad McNew was shot and killed... — Authorities say Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer Brad McNew was shot to death while trying to help a woman who was being beaten in an alleged domestic violence incident.(Source: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)

McNew had been with JSO for about 24 years. He is described in 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 that 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, holding accountable a person who senselessly took the life of a man who was trying to help another suffering human being,” Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said at a news conference later that day.

Demaurea Grant, 29, faces murder and other charges in fatal Jacksonville shooting... — Demaurea Grant, 29, is facing murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer Brad McNew.(Source: Gastonia Police Department)

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 interviewing the woman involved in the incident.