Double Murder Suspect Kills Himself After Police Chase Ends in Beaumont

A suspect wanted in a double homicide on the Bolivar Peninsula was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound early Saturday morning, May 31, 2025, following a multi-agency pursuit through Chambers and Jefferson counties.

At approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a shots-fired call in the 900 block of Kirkpatrick Road in the Gilchrist community. Upon arrival, deputies found two deceased individuals outside the residence: Eric Dopp, 45, of Houston, and his daughter, Wisdom Hall, 24, of Pearland. According to a witness, a verbal altercation between two men and a woman escalated into gunfire when one of the men opened fire and fled the scene in a white vehicle.

Deputies quickly issued a region-wide alert with the suspect vehicle description.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted a vehicle matching the description and attempted a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop, initiating a pursuit that continued into Beaumont. The chase ended near College Street and I-10, where the suspect stopped but refused to exit the vehicle.

Multiple agencies, including the Beaumont Police Department, Texas DPS, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Game Wardens, responded to assist and attempted negotiations. Authorities later found the suspect, identified as Johnathan Findley, 38, of Pasadena, deceased in the vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators confirmed that the victims and suspect were known to each other and had been visiting a mutual friend in Gilchrist. The cause of the argument that led to the shooting is still under investigation by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Unit.