Off-duty corrections officer killed in Jacksonville

A nationwide manhunt led to the arrest Sunday of a man suspected of killing an off-duty corrections officer in Jacksonville.

Demaurea Grant, 29, was arrested in Gastonia, North Carolina, on charges of murder, possession of a gun by a convicted felon and other charges. He will be returned to Jacksonville to face the charges.

Officer Bradley McNew was shot to death Saturday after intervening in an argument between a man and woman at a Northside truck stop on Duval Road, Sheriff T.K. Waters said .

McNew, a 24-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was off duty when he pulled into the truck stop just after 1:15 a.m. Saturday. He heard Grant and a woman having a violent dispute next to a Ford Mustang, police said.

McNew tried to help, but Grant told him it was a “family matter,” then scuffled with the woman before pointing a gun in McNew’s direction, Waters said.

Grant fired the gun at McNew while the couple drove off, the sheriff said. McNew was hit and died later at a hospital.

Waters called Grant a convicted felon “with a violent criminal history.” U.S. marshals arrested him without incident.

“You know, a lot of times criminals — thugs — will do things to people that they feel like can’t fight back,” Waters said. “But when he was faced with the U.S. marshal task force, he didn’t want to fight, so he was taken into custody safely, securely, without further incident … and I am just happy that he was.”

Grant may be from the Gastonia area, Waters said.

The woman faces unrelated North Carolina charges, the sheriff said.

Water said McNew died while “attempting to help another human being in suffering.”

“He tried to intervene, which is the absolute right thing to do as a decent human being, and not only that, but as a professional. And unfortunately, this clown decided to take his life,” Waters said.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan issued a statement about McNew’s death on X, saying her heart is with his family and the Sheriff’s Office community “after he was taken from them so suddenly and tragically.”

“Jacksonville will always be grateful for the heroism he showed while off duty and for his 24 years of service to our city,” Deegan wrote.

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