Demaurea Grant, 30, faces multiple charges including first-degree murder in connection to the shooting death of JSO corrections officer Brad McNew.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a Duval County courtroom on Monday morning, prosecutors handling the case of the murder of Jacksonville sheriff’s corrections officer Brad McNew announced their decision to pursue the death penalty against the suspect accused of his shooting and death.
Demaurea Grant, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder, firing a weapon from a vehicle, aggravated assault, and firearm possession by a convicted felon related to McNew’s death. During his court appearance on Monday, he chose to forgo his right to a speedy trial.
The start date for Grant’s trial will be set at his next court date, a pre-trial hearing on June 16. He is currently being housed in Clay County.
What happened?
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, McNew, who was not on duty at the time, was fatally shot on October 12, 2024, around 1:20 a.m. at Love’s Travel Stop located on Jacksonville’s Northside.
McNew was employed with the sheriff’s office for 24 years and had just finished his shift when he was shot at the Duval Road truck stop. He was not in uniform, JSO said.
Sheriff T.K. Waters called the shooting “senseless violence” and “disturbing.”
“He’s the epitome of a public servant to me,” Waters said about McNew.
JSO said Grant shot McNew from the passenger window of a black 2000 Mustang with a North Carolina license plate.
In surveillance footage released by JSO, showing the moments that led up to the shooting, a man identified by JSO as Grant is seen exiting the Mustang, putting a handgun on its hood, then throwing a woman identified as Makayla Huggins out of the car.
McNew then intervened and asked if Huggins was OK, according to JSO. When this happened, JSO said that Grant told McNew it was a “family matter” and pointed the gun at McNew.
The sheriff’s office said Grant shot McNew through the Mustang’s passenger window multiple times and fled the scene with Huggins shortly after. McNew was then taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Huggins, 26, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact April 1. She is scheduled for a status hearing on July 7 at 9 a.m., court records show.
