JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly seven months after an off-duty corrections officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed, the man suspected of pulling the trigger has been extradited to Florida following a lengthy stay in North Carolina, where he was arrested.
According to JSO, Demaurea Grant is accused of killing Officer Brad McNew in October after McNew intervened in a domestic dispute Grant was having at a Love’s Truck Stop on Jacksonville’s Northside.
Right after that deadly shooting, Sheriff T.K. Waters did not hold back as he expressed his anger over losing a corrections officer to gun violence.
“Today, we collectively voice that we will not tolerate when a lawless criminal needlessly takes the life of a human being who is bravely defending a stranger in need and serving the members of this great community,” Waters said at the time.
McNew had worked at the Duval County jail for 24 years.
Grant was brought back to Duval County on Tuesday and will face multiple charges stemming from the incident, including first-degree murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will await trial in the Clay County jail.
Grant could face the death penalty if convicted.
𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐂𝐍𝐄𝐖’𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) May 6, 2025
Demaurea Grant, 30, has been extradited to Florida for the senseless murder of beloved Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer Brad McNew.
Grant was placed in Officer McNew’s… pic.twitter.com/H1xufdprSa
“Grant was placed in Officer McNew’s handcuffs—a symbolic reminder of the life he took,” JSO said. “Our partners at the Clay County Sheriff’s Office have graciously agreed to house Grant in their jail as he awaits trial.”
The 30-year-old Grant had been in custody in North Carolina, where he is from, and where he was arrested on Oct. 13. He had been fighting extradition but lost that battle this week.
JSO added that Makayla Huggins, 26, was the woman Grant was arguing with when McNew intervened.
She drove away with Grant in the car after the shooting occurred and later pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. She will face sentencing later this month, JSO said.
“This horrific act has had a lasting ripple effect on our community. Officer McNew is deeply missed by his wife, son, colleagues, and friends,” the agency wrote. “Your JSO will continue working with the State Attorney’s Office to seek justice for all who loved Officer McNew.”
