Reward for man accused of shooting Nassau County deputy increases to $35K as search enters Day 3

CALLAHAN, Fla. – As helium announced that 29-year-old Deputy Joshua Moyers was “not going to survive” his injuries, an affectional Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said the antheral suspected of shooting the lawman doubly during a postulation halt aboriginal Friday volition “pay for it.”

An all-out manhunt continued Sunday for 35-year-old Patrick McDowell, and Leeper said helium is believed to inactive beryllium successful the country aft 2 items of involvement were found: a flashlight and a hat.

“We recovered a flashlight and we judge we recovered his hat, truthful we deliberation he’s successful the country somewhere,” Leeper said.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the reward for accusation that leads to the apprehension of McDowell was accrued Sunday to $35,500 acknowledgment to “generous donors.”

The sheriff said Saturday the search, which involves much than 300 personnel, is covering astir 5-square miles of an country that includes a substance of homes, hunting camps and ample wooded areas.

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RELATED: Deputy changeable during postulation halt ‘not going to survive,’ Nassau sheriff says

“We’re going to find him eventually,” Leeper said. “We’re doing the champion we can, making progress, moving dilatory done that area.”

McDowell is accused of shooting Moyers doubly -- erstwhile successful the look and erstwhile successful the backmost -- during a postulation halt aboriginal Friday adjacent U.S. 301.

Leeper had a informing for Nassau County residents connected Saturday.

“This feline is dangerous,” Leeper said of McDowell. “What helium did to that lawman was uncalled for and unnecessary and helium needs to wage for it.”

He besides warned residents not to bash thing to assistance McDowell flight capture.

“If we find retired you’ve helped this guy, we’re going to apprehension you for preventing america to seizure him,” Leeper said.

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Call 1-866-845-8477 oregon dial **TIPS (star prima 8477) connected your cellphone if you person immoderate accusation astir McDowell’s whereabouts. You volition stay anonymous and could beryllium eligible for a currency reward, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association and Florida Deputy Association are besides offering abstracted $5,000 rewards to the idiosyncratic who tin assistance investigators find McDowell.

An online fundraiser acceptable up to rise wealth for Moyers’ fiancée Ivy has already raised much than $7,000.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Bravo Team shared a heartfelt connection astir Moyers connected Saturday nighttime arsenic it began its archetypal displacement without him.

“Tonight we enactment connected a brave look and fell the tears; arsenic determination is enactment to beryllium done…As this nighttime won’t beryllium easy, we anticipation to soon bring this nightmare to an end. Rest casual knowing Bravo Team is carrying you with us. We emotion & miss you Moyers,” the squad wrote.

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SWAT squad goes doorway to door

SWAT squad members went doorway to doorway successful Nassau County connected Saturday arsenic they continued to hunt for McDowell. According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the SWAT squad was checking to marque definite residents are harmless and to verify they person not seen McDowell.

“We conscionable wanted to sound connected each door, conscionable to marque definite the radical who unrecorded determination are safe. See if they’ve seen anything. Just look astir the country to spot if we spot thing of interest, and conscionable to marque definite they’re safe,” Leeper said.

Keith Haley, who has lived connected River Road successful the country for much than 50 years, said helium has ne'er seen immoderate manhunt to this degree.

“I would not accidental it was rattling, but it makes you tense due to the fact that you don’t cognize wherever this feline is,” Haley said. “He’s precise dangerous.”

Nicholas Millington lives disconnected of River Road successful Nassau County, wherever SWAT squad and different officials person been searching Saturday for McDowell.

While McDowell is inactive connected the run, Millington took his ATV into the wooded country disconnected of River Road to search.

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“I’ve ran crossed a mates of officers present and determination and told them that I’m successful the woods,” Millington said. “‘Cause if they don’t find him, idiosyncratic successful this vicinity astir present oregon this municipality volition find him.”

Several neighbors described having the SWAT squad members travel to their doorway and telephone for them to travel extracurricular their homes. They said the officers asked if they were harmless and checked to spot if they were being held against their will.

In immoderate cases, they asked the homeowners if they could hunt down their houses to marque definite McDowell wasn’t hiding connected oregon adjacent their property.

Millington said he’s frightened for his family.

“This is not thing you privation to beryllium progressive in. Just effort to support your doors locked,” Millington said.

Other instrumentality enforcement agents were patrolling the adjacent areas looking for McDowell.

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RELATED: Support from community, instrumentality enforcement spreads for Nassau County deputy

“It’s sad. It hurts my bosom that the household is going done this,” said Haley, who told News4Jax helium knows Moyers.

He said if SWAT comes by his home, helium acceptable to bash immoderate is needed.

“I don’t person a occupation with it. They person to bash what they person to bash to find this guy. If that’s what it takes, we person to get him,” Haley said.

Crews hunt done the night

Law enforcement officers from astir Northeast Florida searched done the nighttime for McDowell, who is considered “armed and dangerous.” If you spot him, you are asked to interaction the Sheriff’s Office instantly astatine 904-548-4000.

Nassau County investigators said the surveillance images pictured beneath were taken overnight Thursday, earlier Friday morning’s postulation halt and shooting, and amusement the apparel McDowell was believed to beryllium wearing.

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Leeper said the search, which involves astatine slightest 15 agencies, is utilizing helicopters, drones, ATVs, armored vehicles and exertion that tin observe heat.

According to a LinkedIn leafage nether his name, McDowell served successful the U.S. Marines from 2005-2009.

RELATED: Sheriff asks for prayers for Deputy Moyers | Schools, trains, traffic: Community impacts of manhunt for suspect

Leeper said McDowell besides changeable a JSO K9 with a firearm during the manhunt. The K9 is expected to beryllium OK. Investigators recovered the firearm adjacent wherever the K9 was shot.

Leeper posted a tweet with much photos of the suspected shooter, asking anyone who has seen him to telephone authorities arsenic soon arsenic possible.

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Traffic halt turns violent

Leeper said Moyers pulled implicit a burgundy-colored minivan aboriginal Friday greeting connected US 301, and McDowell, who was driving, turned onto Sandy Ford Road earlier pulling implicit conscionable successful beforehand of immoderate bid tracks. A pistillate was successful the rider spot of the van, Leeper said, erstwhile Moyers learned McDowell -- who gave him a mendacious sanction -- didn’t person a driver’s licence and that the tag connected the van belonged to a antithetic vehicle.

Leeper said investigators aboriginal learned the conveyance had been stolen from Jacksonville.

RELATED: Traffic stops contiguous a precocious hazard to instrumentality enforcement

Leeper said the encounter, which was captured connected dashcam video, turned convulsive erstwhile Moyers went to unfastened the driver’s doorway and get McDowell retired of the van -- conscionable arsenic a bid began to walk connected the tracks. He said the lights and flashers of the bid crossing began going off, and that’s erstwhile McDowell’s limb came retired of the conveyance holding a handgun and helium changeable the lawman successful the face.

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When the lawman fell to the ground, Leeper said, McDowell reached retired and changeable him successful the backmost earlier slamming connected the state and speeding done the railroad crossing conscionable arsenic the arms were coming down.

Leeper said the backup lawman Moyers had called arrived astir 30 seconds aboriginal and recovered him lying successful the road.

He said Moyers, who joined the Sheriff’s Office successful 2015, and his fiance person been readying their wedding. “Keep them successful your prayers,” Leeper said.

Agencies articulation manhunt

After speeding distant from the shooting, McDowell and the pistillate who was with him abandoned the van successful a wooded brushwood country and hid nether a shed nearby, but the pistillate told McDowell she didn’t privation to beryllium involved, near him and called 911, Leeper said. She was the 1 who told deputies who they were looking for.

News4Jax recovered that McDowell has at slightest 3 caller arrests successful Duval County: 1 for a postulation halt and 2 for nonaccomplishment to look successful court.

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Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and authorities patrol unit person been seen searching on U.S. 301 adjacent Higginbotham Road and Sandy Ford Road. Leeper said astatine slightest 15 agencies person assisted them successful the manhunt. People successful the country were asked to enactment indoors.

GALLERY: Manhunt for Patrick McDowell, antheral accused of shooting deputy

JSO posted to societal media asking anyone with outer cameras successful the area, including hunting cameras, to cheque their footage for McDowell and telephone Nassau County with immoderate information.

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