Florida manhunt for Marine “cop killer” begins day 4 with 200 searches, schools closed

A massive search effort for a suspect wanted for shooting a Florida MP during a traffic stop entered its fourth day on Monday, as the reward for the shooter’s capture was again increased and schools in the most northeastern part of the state remains under modified lockdown.

The reward for the capture of Patrick McDowell, 35, is now $ 54,000, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said, warning the man could still be in the area and residents should not turn down the price. keep. Anyone who sees anything abnormal is advised to call the Sheriff’s Office at 904-225-5174.

The sheriff’s office informed residents that there would be a heavy police presence on Sandy Ford Road in Callahan’s US 301 area on Monday, which would include around 200 vehicles and assistants, as law enforcement officials from several agencies cover an area of ​​5 square miles. .

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“Don’t worry. We are collecting evidence,” the agency said on Facebook. “We don’t know how long it will take. Thank you for your patience.”

McDowell, who is believed to have served in the Marines, is accused of shooting Nassau County MP Josh Moyers during a traffic stop Friday. Moyers, 29, died at 2:19 p.m. on Sunday at UF Health Jacksonville. A weapons expert who trained McDowell as a security guard a decade ago described him as a “survivalist” with military experience and skills for hiding in the woods, WJXT reported.

“Please keep Josh’s family and fiancé in your thoughts and prayers as we go through this terrible tragedy,” Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said in a statement. Footage captured Moyers’ procession from the hospital, as a fire ambulance transported his body to the medical examiner’s office.

Sheriff Leeper swore in law enforcement officers from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Charlton County on Monday morning, giving them the power to make an arrest in Nassau County.

MPs had been going door-to-door to check on residents over the weekend amid their searches. The sheriff’s office has circulated several photos of the alleged “cop killer”, who was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, white underwear, camouflage shorts and black shoes. McDowell has a tattoo on his left shoulder that reads “Death Before Dishonor” and a tattoo on his right arm that reads “EGA”.

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Nassau County School District Superintendent Kathy Burns on Monday asked Callahan Middle School, Callahan Intermediate, West Nassau High School, as well as other nearby schools, to operate on a modified lockdown basis in the middle of the ongoing manhunt, which means students will not change classes. Although the buses will run, absences will not be counted for students whose parents keep them at home.