Manhunt ends for alleged deputy shooter

The five-day manhunt for a man who allegedly shot and killed a Nassau County Sheriff’s (NCSO) deputy is over.

On Tuesday afternoon, Patrick McDowell, 35, was arrested in Callahan by law enforcement. McDowell is accused of shooting NCSO deputy Josh Moyers Friday morning during a traffic stop. Moyers died on Sunday and a Florida Blue Alert was issued to locate McDowell.

According to an article on WJXT News4Jax in Jacksonville, McDowell was cornered in a bathroom building at the Kirsten Higginbotham Sports Complex off Ball Park Road. He eventually came out of the bathroom and surrendered.

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“We got our man. It’s a great day in Nassau County,” Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said at a Tuesday news conference.

At the news conference, Leeper said McDowell initially didn’t listen to all the commands given by officers at the scene, so a K-9 was sent in to get him to comply before he was arrested. McDowell was transported to UF Health Jacksonville for the dog bite wound and two gunshot wounds following an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement Friday when he was found hiding in a wooded area.

McDowell, a former U.S. Marine, was pulled over Friday morning in Callahan by Moyers. McDowell then shot Moyers twice and fled.

Moyers, 29, was transported by emergency medical responders to UF Health in Jacksonville where he died Sunday afternoon. The family kept him alive so they could donate his organs, according to the NCSO Facebook page. A GoFundMe account was started to raise funds for Moyer’s fiancé, Ivy.

The Florida Blue Alert system was started in 2011 and is activated when a member of law enforcement is hurt, killed or missing while on duty. The last time a Blue Alert was issued was on June 24 when Othal Wallace allegedly shot Daytona Beach officer Jason Raynor in the head. Wallace was later found in Atlanta, Ga., but Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies located his car in Gainesville.

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