'We Got Our Man': Patrick McDowell, Wanted For Killing Florida Deputy, Captured
JACKSONVILLE (CBSMiami) – The Florida man at the center of a Blue Alert, issued for fatally shooting a Nassau County Sheriff's Deputy, has been captured.
Patrick McDowell, who had been on the run for five days, was taken into custody in northeast Florida on Tuesday, said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
"I first want to tell our community that we got our man. It's a great day in Nassau County," the sheriff said.
Leeper said they tracked McDowell to a ball park in Callahan and surrounded the bathroom and concession stand area.
"He called out that he wanted to give himself up and he came out," Leeper said. "We gave him that opportunity. He came out of the bathroom. He crawled like a baby.''
McDowell did not obey all of the SWAT team's commands, however, and they unleashed a K-9 on him, the sheriff said.
McDowell is accused of shooting Deputy Joshua Moyers during a traffic stop on Friday, Sept. 24. Investigators said McDowell shot Deputy Moyers in the face and back, after being asked to step out of the car, which was stolen.
Moyers died of his injuries two days later.
Leeper said authorities used Deputy Moyer's handcuff's when they took McDowell into custody.
Leeper said many tips came in and several law enforcement agencies helped set up a perimeter to snare McDowell. He said McDowell had been shot by officers as they chased him several nights ago, and he had reached out to people to help him because of injuries to his leg.
The sheriff said McDowell had wrapped his injured leg in a Callahan soccer shirt he'd gotten from the concession stand.
Leeper said one other person who had been helping McDowell had been taken into custody. He said the investigation is continuing.
McDowell is expected to face multiple charges, including killing a law enforcement officer, the sheriff said.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
