Armed man shot by police, fatally dies after shooting himself in the head

SAN ANTONIO, TX - On Friday, January 3rd, the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) has released bodycam footage of an officer-involved shooting that took place on December 3, 2024. 

According to SAPD, further investigation into the incident revealed that although the officer fired off several rounds at the armed suspect, he died after shooting himself in the head while in a drainage ditch following a foot chase on the North Side of San Antonio. The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Jeffrey Schopp, refused to stop for police when asked and then ran away and continued to run after additional officers responded to the area.

KSAT reported that SAPD Officer James Lopez attempted to stop and speak with Schopp around 3:15 p.m. on December 3, 2024, in the 8500 block of Jones Maltsberger Road. In the footage, Lopez calls out to Schopp, who was holding two backpacks, telling him multiple times to come up to where he was near his police vehicle so that he could talk to him.

Instead of complying with the officer's direct orders, Schopp put one leg over the railing and sits on it. He said to the officer, "I'm not doing all that, man. Am I under arrest?" Lopez responded by saying, "You're detained right now. Walk over here." Lopez further explained to Schopp that he was being detained for crossing the street without a crosswalk.

Schopp appears to apologize to the officer, but still refuses to comply. Lopez said, "Come here. Come over here now." Schopp then gets up from the railing, drops one of his backpacks and then darts across the street and into a parking garage. Lopez chased after him and called for backup. 

SAPD said that the foot chase went through a field and Schopp ran near a drainage ditch. Bodycam footage shows Schopp running through the drainage ditch with a handgun. A .22 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene and it was determined that Schopp used that handgun to shoot himself in the head as the officer was shooting at him. Officers provided life-saving measures until EMS responded to the scene. EMS pronounced Schopp dead on scene.

SAPD said that Lopez was not injured during the incident, nor were any other officers. Lopez has been with the department for four years and according to the investigation, fired off 14 shots in the incident. According to TPR, Schopp's autopsy report will not be available for at least six more weeks, which is standard time for the Bexar County Medical Examiner's office to complete its reports. The Bexar County District Attorney's Office is currently reviewing the shooting, as it does will all officer-involved shootings.