A North Carolina man has been arrested for the murder of an off-duty corrections officer from Atlantic Beach, who intervened in a woman’s beating at a Jacksonville gas station early Saturday morning.

Officer Brad McNew, a 24-year veteran of the department and a beloved community member, was leaving his shift after 1 a.m. when he saw a man assaulting a woman at the gas station.

Surveillance footage shows Demaurea Grant, 29, riding in the passenger seat as the woman pulls up to a pump. He then exits the car, places a gun on the hood, pulls the woman out, and throws her to the ground.

McNew, who had previously lost his 12-year-old daughter to COVID-19, saw the incident and stepped in to help.

Grant picked up the gun from the hood and pointed it at McNew before getting back in the car with the woman.

Jacksonville County Sheriff T.K. Waters said Grant fired at McNew while leaving the station, killing him.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tracked Grant to a home in Gastonia, North Carolina, where he was arrested. The woman with Grant at the gas station was also taken into custody on an unrelated warrant.

At a Sunday press conference, Waters condemned Grant’s actions and praised McNew as a dedicated officer who selflessly helped those in need.

“This murder arrest is about our community standing in solidarity with those who make the decision to do the good and decent thing,” Waters said. “Today we collectively voice that we won’t tolerate when a criminal needlessly takes the life of a human being who is bravely defending a stranger.”

Residents of Atlantic Beach held a candlelight vigil Saturday night to honor McNew’s legacy and volunteer work.

“I know he didn’t have any regrets when he helped that woman,” McNew’s son, Liam, told First Coast News.

Rick Contreras, who volunteered with McNew at Fletcher High School’s band events, said McNew always stayed to clean up and was the last to leave.

“I wanted the band family to understand that they meant something to Brad, and that Brad meant something to the band family,” Contreras said.

Grant, who has a lengthy criminal record, will be extradited to Jacksonville in the coming days. Authorities believe he was in Jacksonville to escape unspecified “issues” in North Carolina.