JACKSONVILLE, FL - Florida authorities confirmed that an off-duty corrections officer was fatally shot while trying to help a woman who was being beaten in a suspected domestic violence incident.
According to WSAZ, 29-year-old Demaurea Grant was arrested for fatally shooting off-duty Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer Brad McNew at a Love's Travel Stop in Jacksonville, Florida. The U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force arrested Grant on Sunday morning, October 13th, in Gastonia, North Carolina, for the shooting that took place one day before. Deputies said that McNew had just finished his shift around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 12th, when he allegedly witnessed Grant assaulting a woman at the truck stop.
Authorities said that Grant attempted to check on the victim moments before Grant shot and killed him. CBS News reported that the location of Grant was nearly 400 miles north of Jacksonville. During a news conference after the arrest of Grant, Jacksonville County Sheriff T.K. Waters said, "As the leader of this agency, I'm grateful for the quick arrest of a man who tragically took the life of a member of the JSO family."
He added, "Today's arrest is about accountability for a person who senselessly took the life of a man attempting to help another human being." Grants arrest came nearly 30 hours after witnesses told investigators they saw the suspect lean out the passenger-side window of a black 2000 Ford Mustang, which was being driven by the woman McNew witnessed getting beaten at the truck stop and open fire on the deputy.
After receiving that notification from the witnesses, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office issued a notice for law enforcement agencies nationwide to be on the lookout for the Mustang with North Carolina license plates. It was then that a massive search for the suspect was launched.
Waters said that Grant has been arrested on charges of murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in public." The sheriff added, "Grant is a convicted felon with a violent criminal history." A woman, believed to be the one Grant was allegedly abusing, was arrested along with the suspect on charges related to another crime in North Carolina. Waters did not provide additional details, nor did he release the woman's name.
Deputy Chief Alan Parker of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said that McNew was not in uniform when he stopped at the truck stop, where he witnessed Grant and his female companion having a loud argument near the gas pumps. Waters said that Grant got our of the Mustang, put a firearm on the hood of the vehicle, and pulled the woman out of the driver's seat. This information was provided by witness statements and corroborated by security video.
Waters said, "He pushed her against the car. Looks like he put his hand around her neck." Parker added that when McNew approached the pair, he asked the woman, "Are you alright?" He said that the suspect responded, telling McNew, "It's family business, stay out of it." The suspect then went back to the woman and started arguing again as she was grabbing him in an attempt to get him back in the car.
Parker said then the suspect picked up the gun he left on the hood of the car and pointed it straight at McNew, but he did not fire. Instead, the man and woman got back in the Mustang. He said, "They end up leaving; she's driving the vehicle. The male, according to witnesses that we've talked to here at the scene, hangs out the other window and shoots multiple times, striking our off-duty officer."
McNew was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. When speaking about McNew, Waters said, "He's the epitome of what we expect from a law enforcement professional. That is, he was off duty, he was in plainclothes, he saw something happening, he tried to intervene, which is the absolutely right thing to do as a decent human being and not only that, but as a professional. Unfortunately, this clown decided to take his life. But, I'm glad he's going to have to answer for his decision." McNew was a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's office.
According to WSAZ, 29-year-old Demaurea Grant was arrested for fatally shooting off-duty Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Corrections Officer Brad McNew at a Love's Travel Stop in Jacksonville, Florida. The U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force arrested Grant on Sunday morning, October 13th, in Gastonia, North Carolina, for the shooting that took place one day before. Deputies said that McNew had just finished his shift around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 12th, when he allegedly witnessed Grant assaulting a woman at the truck stop.
Authorities said that Grant attempted to check on the victim moments before Grant shot and killed him. CBS News reported that the location of Grant was nearly 400 miles north of Jacksonville. During a news conference after the arrest of Grant, Jacksonville County Sheriff T.K. Waters said, "As the leader of this agency, I'm grateful for the quick arrest of a man who tragically took the life of a member of the JSO family."
He added, "Today's arrest is about accountability for a person who senselessly took the life of a man attempting to help another human being." Grants arrest came nearly 30 hours after witnesses told investigators they saw the suspect lean out the passenger-side window of a black 2000 Ford Mustang, which was being driven by the woman McNew witnessed getting beaten at the truck stop and open fire on the deputy.
After receiving that notification from the witnesses, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office issued a notice for law enforcement agencies nationwide to be on the lookout for the Mustang with North Carolina license plates. It was then that a massive search for the suspect was launched.
Waters said that Grant has been arrested on charges of murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in public." The sheriff added, "Grant is a convicted felon with a violent criminal history." A woman, believed to be the one Grant was allegedly abusing, was arrested along with the suspect on charges related to another crime in North Carolina. Waters did not provide additional details, nor did he release the woman's name.
Deputy Chief Alan Parker of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said that McNew was not in uniform when he stopped at the truck stop, where he witnessed Grant and his female companion having a loud argument near the gas pumps. Waters said that Grant got our of the Mustang, put a firearm on the hood of the vehicle, and pulled the woman out of the driver's seat. This information was provided by witness statements and corroborated by security video.
Waters said, "He pushed her against the car. Looks like he put his hand around her neck." Parker added that when McNew approached the pair, he asked the woman, "Are you alright?" He said that the suspect responded, telling McNew, "It's family business, stay out of it." The suspect then went back to the woman and started arguing again as she was grabbing him in an attempt to get him back in the car.
Parker said then the suspect picked up the gun he left on the hood of the car and pointed it straight at McNew, but he did not fire. Instead, the man and woman got back in the Mustang. He said, "They end up leaving; she's driving the vehicle. The male, according to witnesses that we've talked to here at the scene, hangs out the other window and shoots multiple times, striking our off-duty officer."
McNew was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. When speaking about McNew, Waters said, "He's the epitome of what we expect from a law enforcement professional. That is, he was off duty, he was in plainclothes, he saw something happening, he tried to intervene, which is the absolutely right thing to do as a decent human being and not only that, but as a professional. Unfortunately, this clown decided to take his life. But, I'm glad he's going to have to answer for his decision." McNew was a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's office.
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