While the rest of the nation has been focused on our border crisis, the COVID pandemic, and rising inflation, a dramatic situation has been unfolding in Florida. What’s been happening is an intense manhunt to try to find the man who killed Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Josh Moyers on Sept. 24.
That manhunt has now come to an end, thanks in part to the brave work of law-abiding, gun-owning Americans.
Our deepest condolences to the family of Deputy Moyers and @NCSO_FL. His service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
— Chief Orlando Rolón (@OrlandoPDChief) September 26, 2021
The Murder of Deputy Moyers
Moyers was brutally gunned down by an armed man on Friday morning. What happened is Moyers pulled over a man called Patrick McDowell who was driving a stolen van. In the process of trying to arrest McDowell, a former Marine, things went horribly wrong.
McDowell allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Moyers to death on the road. He then took off on the run in his stolen van, leading Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Chief Bill Leeper to ask surrounding citizens to open fire on McDowell on sight if they saw him.
Leeper warned people that McDowell was extremely dangerous and similar to a “rabid animal.” He warned any mercy shown to McDowell would lead to death. Therefore, residents should arm themselves and shoot McDowell “out the door” if he tried to enter.
BREAKING UPDATE: Patrick McDowell, the man wanted in the killing of Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers, has been caught. This photo was taken by law enforcement shortly after the capture. | DETAILS >> https://t.co/v3IKUuWG0u pic.twitter.com/5XrDh4IFwv
— ActionNewsJax (@ActionNewsJax) September 28, 2021
The Manhunt Comes to an End
The manhunt came to an end after four days (of intense searching and residents arming themselves) when McDowell was seen in a park area near Jacksonville. Police crept up on him, surrounding a park bathroom that McDowell entered.
They shouted at him to come out and he said he wanted to surrender. Then, McDowell came out crawling, which Leeper said was typical of the kind of “coward” who shoots a police officer.
Because of giving himself up, McDowell ultimately was not killed and was taken into custody to face murder charges.
The Bottom Line
Leeper admitted his preference would have been to see McDowell get wasted. Nonetheless, he said this man will “pay” for his crime. It’s unclear about the motivations behind the alleged van theft or the horrible things that happened next.
However, what’s clear is that dangerous criminals have a much harder time in a state that’s well-armed. McDowell knew when he got surrounded that there was no Plan B. He gave himself up like a coward because he could tell even if he got away, the police or another armed citizen would take him down.
Leeper’s advisory to citizens to shoot McDowell was smart and well-intentioned. It made the whole community safer. Society is safer when law-abiding gun owners band together to stand up to bad guys.
It’s really that simple and that’s all there is to it. Any noise to the contrary is just that: noise.
that is not a man hunt, IT is called an animal hunt or “tracking”. Use your words wisely
Gotcha Bastard…