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Upgraded charge: Grand jury indicts man accused of killing JSO corrections officer on first-degree murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man accused of killing an off-duty Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer in October 2024 is now charged with first-degree murder after a grand jury returned an indictment against him.

Demaurea Grant, who remains in jail in North Carolina, where he was captured, now faces the upgraded charge in connection with the fatal shooting of Officer Brad McNew.

Grant was originally charged with second-degree murder for the deadly shooting that happened at a truck stop on the city’s Northside.

Police say Grant shot McNew while hanging out of the passenger window of a car after McNew intervened in a domestic dispute that was caught on surveillance video.

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The woman police say was driving the car, Makayla Huggins, is charged as an accessory after the fact. She pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday and is expected back in court on Feb. 25.

Investigators say McNew had just gotten off duty and was in plain clothes when he was shot. He had been with JSO for 24 years.

Police say Grant led police on a manhunt that stretched all the way to Gastonia, North Carolina, where he was ultimately arrested. The city is close to six hours away from Jacksonville.

Grant is awaiting extradition to Duval County to face the murder charge.

He has also been indicted on three other charges, including discharging a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.