Mainstreet Daily News
A Florida Blue Alert went into effect Sunday morning signaling a statewide manhunt for a man who allegedly shot a Nassau County Sheriff’s (NCSO) deputy Friday morning near Callahan.
Patrick McDowell, a 35-year-old former marine, was last seen near Sandy Ford Road and U.S. Highway 301 after he was pulled over Friday morning by NCSO Deputy Josh Moyers. McDowell shot Moyers, 29, twice and fled.
McDowell is a white man with brown hair and blue eyes and he has wide earring holes in his ears. He is 6-feet tall with a tattoo on his back that says “Death Before Dishonor” and a tattoo on his right arm of the U.S. Marine emblem and the letters “EGA.” He was last seen wearing camouflage shorts with black tennis shoes, a black baseball cap, and either a black or white T-shirt.
Moyers 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.
“It is with great sadness that I announce Deputy Josh Moyers has passed away this afternoon, September 26, 2021, at 2:19 PM at UF Health in Jacksonville,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper on a Facebook post. “Please keep Josh’s family and fiancé in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this terrible tragedy.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the NCSO Facebook page had a reward from private donors totaling $50,500 for McDowell’s arrest.
If you see McDowell or know his whereabouts, call 911, the NCSO at 904-548-4000 or CrimeStoppers at 866-845-8477. He is considered armed and should not be approached.
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.