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.