JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local organization founded by officers to support other officers injured in the line of duty is hosting a fundraiser Friday night to help the family of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer Brad McNew.
McNew, a 24-year veteran, was killed while off duty when he intervened in an argument that turned physical at a Love’s gas station on Duval Road. He saw a woman being assaulted and tried to help.
McNew leaves behind his wife, Elda, and son, Liam, and was very active with his parishes’ choirs, St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach, and St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Jacksonville. He also worked with the Fletcher High School Marching Band when he was off-duty.
Elda McNew said she and her husband had a ritual every time he stepped out for work.
“Every time we were together, before he left for work, we got a kiss and a hug and we whispered, come home safe to me, and that’s exactly how he left us in the front yard cleaning up after the hurricane,” McNew said.
She also reflected on the bond she shared with Brad.
“The minute Brad and I got together, we started dating. It has always been a love of music, and God’s number one,” McNew said.
Police arrested the man accused of shooting McNew after a 24-hour manhunt that ended in North Carolina. He’s currently being held there without bond, awaiting extradition to Florida to face charges.
Signal 34 Foundation co-founder Kevin Munger, who personally knew McNew, said Friday‘s fundraiser at the American Legion Post 137 on San Juan Avenue is open to the public and McNew’s wife and son are expected to attend.
“We are just trying to be a bright spot in this dark place that has happened. This senseless tragedy that has occurred. We want to raise some money and put some people together,” said Munger, a sergeant who has worked with JSO for 22 years and often saw McNew while working out at the station’s gym. “Brad was a nice guy. A really nice guy. It was definitely a tragedy. Senseless. This could not have happened to a nicer person honestly.”
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Rest easy, Officer McNew. We’ll take it from here.
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) October 23, 2024
Today, your #JSO paid respects to a fallen hero, Corrections Officer Brad McNew. From the Mass of Christian Burial to the cemetery service, the outpouring of support and love for McNew’s family, friends, and colleagues was… pic.twitter.com/mH5M1fSR0P
McNew said she was thankful for everyone’s support.
“I almost can‘t describe the love and support. I do not take a step without somebody going here, ’What do you need? What can I do?‘” she said.
Sheriff T.K. Waters says the department wants the officer’s family to know just how much McNew meant to the agency. He called McNew the “ultimate public servant.”
“They’re hurt at the loss of a friend, a fellow public servant and a family member quite frankly. We are more than just co-workers here. We step into a situation where we will defend this community with our lives if need be and he did that,” Waters said." He was off. He was in his T-shirt. He could have just let it go.”
Friday’s event included T-shirt sales, a raffle and a silent auction. Visitors can pay $25 for barbecue dinner and an open bar, and live music will be from 6-10 p.m. by D’Marvin Band.
“Everything that we raise tonight will go to the family,” Munger said.
People who cannot make it to the event Friday can still donate to the fundraiser through the foundation’s Venmo account.
Munger said the Foundation doesn’t have a specific goal in mind because “no amount is good enough.“
“But whatever we do tonight, we will feel blessed. Whatever that is,” Munger said.
Since the foundation began eight years ago, it has helped more than 15 officers and their families.
The Signal 34 name comes from the call that an officer is down and in need of immediate help.
“It is the most serious signal that we have,” Munger said.
