Violent felon accused of fatally shooting off-duty corrections officer who intervened after suspect allegedly beat female

A felon with a violent criminal history is accused of fatally shooting an off-duty corrections officer who intervened when the suspect allegedly was beating a woman at a Florida truck stop early Saturday morning.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested 29-year-old Demaurea Grant at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at a home in Gastonia, North Carolina, and is pending extradition to Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union reported, citing Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters' announcement during a news conference.

Grant is charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in public.

Grant is accused of killing Officer Bradley McNew, a sheriff's office corrections officer and 24-year veteran of the department, the Times-Union said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said a male and female were involved in a violent dispute around 1:20 a.m. in the 12900 block of Duval Road. You can view surveillance video of the incident here. The suspect was observed exiting a black Mustang, placing a black handgun on the hood, removing the female from the driver’s seat, and then battering the female, throwing her against the vehicle and the ground.

Off-duty Corrections Officer Bradley McNew had just finished his shift, heard the disturbance, and went to check on the female victim, the sheriff's office said. The suspect approached McNew, said it was a family matter, re-engaged with the female, and then pointed the gun in Officer McNew’s direction, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect and female returned to the vehicle, and as they were leaving the scene, the suspect was observed hanging out of the window, firing the handgun, and striking Officer McNew, the sheriff's office said, adding that he was taken to a hospital where he died. The Times-Union said McNew was in plain clothes at the time.

The sheriff's office noted that the Mustang had a North Carolina license plate of RHL-4285.

Sheriff Waters said the U.S. Marshals took Grant ― a felon with a violent criminal history ― into custody without incident, the Times-Union said, adding that tips from citizens as well as the investigation by detectives from the Sheriff's Office, the Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, and the State Attorney's Office led to his arrest.

Grant is charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in public, Waters said, according to the paper.

The sheriff added that a female who was with Grant was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant regarding a North Carolina crime, the Times-Union said, adding that the sheriff's office didn't release her name or say what her relationship, if any, might be to Grant.

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