Community relieved arrest made in shooting death of Nassau County deputy

3 years ago 256

Flowers decorate the hood of fallen Deputy Joshua Moyers' cruiser.

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – After a five-day hunt covering 5 quadrate miles, Patrick McDowell -- the antheral accused of fatally shooting a Nassau County lawman -- surrendered Tuesday adjacent a sports analyzable west of Callahan.

Deputy Joshua Moyers was changeable during a postulation halt Friday morning, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said. Since then, determination had been an all-out hunt for McDowell. Sheriff Bill Leeper announced successful a Tuesday day quality conference that McDowell had been arrested.

“We got our man. It’s a large time successful Nassau County,” Leeper said.

The handcuffs that were utilized to apprehension him, Leeper said, were the aforesaid handcuffs that were issued to Deputy Moyers.

There was a consciousness of alleviation among residents of Nassau County connected Tuesday evening. A memorial was created for Moyers -- flowers lied atop his cruiser.

“I’m conscionable gladsome they caught him,” said Melissa Hatcher, who lives successful Nassau County. “It brings maine chills bringing it up close now.”

Hatcher lives disconnected River Road, wherever a SWAT squad knocked connected doors past play amid the hunt for McDowell. She said she was acrophobic to permission her house.

“There’s a batch of woods astir present and we didn’t cognize however acold he’d beryllium traveling,” Hatcher said.

Preston Sparks besides lives disconnected River Road. He said members of instrumentality enforcement showed up astatine his location past Saturday.

“Our full roadworthy was lined up with SWAT and ARs and each branches of authorities looking for him,” Sparks recalled.

He said helium knew Moyers.

“He was a large dude to beryllium around,” Sparks said. “Always had a grin connected his face.”

A flyer from Wildlight Elementary, successful Nassau County, encouraged the schoolhouse to deterioration the colour bluish connected Wednesday to amusement enactment for Moyers.

Leeper said McDowell was besides suffering from 2 gunshot wounds pursuing an speech of gunfire with deputies portion helium was connected the run. McDowell changeable a K-9 with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during the exchange, Leeper said.

According to Leeper, astatine slightest 1 different idiosyncratic is facing charges for attempting to assistance McDowell evade instrumentality enforcement.

There was a $54,000 reward for accusation starring to McDowell’s arrest, but that reward volition not beryllium paid retired to anyone, the Sheriff’s Office said.