JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An off-duty Jacksonville sheriff's corrections officer was killed after being shot by a man involved in a domestic dispute with a woman at a truck stop around 1:20 a.m. Saturday, according to the sheriff's office.
The name of the officer is Brad McNew, who was employed with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for 24 years and had just finished his shift when he was shot and killed at a Duval Road truck stop. McNew was not in uniform, police said.
Sheriff T.K. Waters called the shooting “senseless violence” and “disturbing” and said the family has been notified.
“He’s the epitome of a public servant to me, he could have ignored it but he didn’t,” Waters said.
Officials say a man in the dispute shot McNew from the passenger window of a 2000 Black Mustang with a North Carolina license plate; the tag number on the plate is RHL4285.
According to police, the suspect exited the Mustang, put a handgun on its hood, then threw the woman out of the car. McNew intervened and asked if she was OK. JSO says the unidentified man then pointed the gun at McNew.
The woman tried the get the suspect to leave, and when they did, the suspect shot McNew through the window multiple times. They fled the scene shortly as McNew was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
"You don't kill a person because they're trying to check on the welfare of a person you're assaulting," Waters said. "... It's a huge loss for our agency any time we lose an employee."
Now, a nationwide Be On The Lookout alert has been pushed out in search of the suspects. They were seen heading north on U.S. 17 potentially toward Nassau County. The man is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500, email JSOCRIMETIPS@Jaxsheriff.org or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
This comes as JSO is reeling from the death of a supervisor Thursday evening. The agency released the following statement:
"The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of its members. A supervisor, who had been with the agency for 18 years, died unexpectedly late Thursday evening after complications with a long-term medical condition. To honor the request of the family, we will not be releasing the name of the employee. We ask for prayers and support for the employee’s family and JSO family at this time."
