JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Nassau County deputy is in life-threatening condition after he was shot early Friday during a traffic stop, according to the sheriff's office.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for Patrick McDowell, 35, who has been named a suspect in this case by deputies.
Deputies say McDowell is considered armed and dangerous in the area of US 301 and Sandy Ford Road.
Here's what we know about McDowell:
Patrick Rene McDowell is currently wanted in an officer involved shooting during a traffic stop in Callahan.
- Former military/service training - He was in the United States Marine Corps from Sept. 27, 2005 to Nov. 26, 2009. McDowell then served in the Marine Corps Reserve between 2009 and 2013. According to Marine records, he was a Field Radio Operator. He was deployed twice, in 2009 to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Sergeant also received several awards in his time in the military like the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Nation Defense Service Medal. According to background documents obtained by First Coast News, McDowell lived at Camp Pendleton in California, a Marine Corps training base, from 2006 to 2009.
- Proficient with a firearm - Patrick McDowell participated in shooting competitions in 2014, according to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
- Previous arrests - He has previously been arrested for giving a false name to law enforcement and aggravated possession of stolen firearms, according to Nassau County Sheriff's Office. McDowell was arrested in April 27, 2021 by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for failure to appear for several charges stemming back to 2019, according to arrest documents. Those charges include possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also arrested in September 2018 by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for driving with a suspended license and attaching a license plate or sticker not assigned. McDowell was arrested in 2019 for forging checks from his grandfather's account as well. He has a criminal past in Illinois and Indiana too. Charges there range from burglary, to theft, to carrying a handgun without a license and leaving the scene of an accident, as well as driving while intoxicated endangering a person. Some of those charges were reduced or dismissed.
- History of mental illness - Deputies say Patrick McDowell has previously been Baker Ated and has been noted to suffer from depression, seizures, and PTSD.
Photos:
