UNF employee killed had ‘cool, calm demeanor'

People in the community are remembering the impact Joe Brenton had on them.

Even for those who barely knew him.

Michael Miller said Brenton was a regular at his vape shop.

Miller said he never thought the next place he’d see Brenton was on the news.

“My wife goes ‘that’s our customer, he comes every Saturday,’” Miller said.

Unlike the hundreds of other customers Miller sees, he said Brenton stood out.

“Always a cool calm demeanor, never aggressive,” he said. “Kind of like a big bear, real polite.”

Brenton was shot and killed at his home early last Wednesday.

Police said the shocking murder was planned by Jecorian McCray, 23, because Brenton was going to testify against him for a prior break-in.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said jail phone recordings caught McCray telling his teenage brother, Dakarai Maxwell, how to kill Brenton.

Maxwell, 17, allegedly followed through with the instructions and pulled the trigger.

Action News Jax spotted several people cleaning Brenton’s home on Monday.

The front door was boarded up, and the broken glass was swept away. There were also boxes in the front yard.

Brenton’s family has requested privacy at this time.

Cox Media Group