UNF employee killed in home invasion was ‘God-fearing man'

Family of a Jacksonville college employee killed in a home invasion on Wednesday morning said he was a God-fearing man who would help anybody.

Joe Brenton worked as an IT engineer at the University of North Florida for 21 years, officials said.

His wife and daughter were inside his home on V C Johnson Road early Wednesday morning when someone broke into his home and shot him.

Shattered glass lies around the door, where Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said there was a confrontation before Brenton was shot.

“I heard they shot him 4 times," Jerry Riggins said. "He probably didn’t know what hit him.”

Riggins, whose wife is the aunt of Brenton’s wife, said he knew Brenton for 26 years and can’t believe a man who gave so much to the world was taken from it.

“If I needed help moving something, he’d always come help me,” he said.

Action News Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson said he believes the home was targeted because the neighborhood is tucked away.

“This area is pretty much isolated off a main road," he said. "The houses sit back off roads. I doubt very seriously this was a random attack.”

Photos: UNF employee shot, killed in reported home invasion

UNF released a statement about Brenton's death:

The UNF community is saddened by the news of Joe Brenton's passing as he was a valued employee here for 21 years. He was instrumental in building the early network and server infrastructure at UNF and continued to architect the campus network until his untimely death. Our heartfelt prayers and thoughts go out to his family and friends."

Cox Media Group