Napa County murder suspect kills himself after pursuit

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) -- The suspect of a fatal shooting in a vineyard south of Yountville late Monday morning was later found after a police pursuit dead in his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot, the Napa County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies went to the 6100 block of Solano Avenue in unincorporated Napa County around 11:49 a.m. in response to a shooting, sheriff's Capt. Doug Pike said.

Deputies saw two men, one of them armed and the other with at least one gunshot wound to the head, Pike said.

The armed suspect fled in a black SUV parked nearby and the wounded man in his late 40s was pronounced dead at the scene, Pike said.

Deputies, Napa police officers and a California Highway Patrol helicopter pursued the armed suspect north on state Highway 29 to Oakville and west on Oakville Grade toward Sonoma County, Pike said.

The pursuit ended near the Sonoma-Napa county line on private property on Wall Road where the armed suspect was found in a heavily wooded area, Pike said.

Authorities feared the suspect might be armed with a high-powered weapon and on foot, so they established a perimeter and requested SWAT teams from the sheriff's office and Napa police, Pike said. Area residents were advised to lock their doors and report any suspicious activity in the area.

After SWAT teams arrived, officers approached the suspect's vehicle and found the suspect dead inside, Pike said.

While police had yet to identify the shooter and the victim, a family friend told KTVU that it was Robert Dahl of Dahl Vineyards who was found dead on Monday at that winery just south of Yountville.

The Napa Valley Register reports the other person found dead was investor Emad Tawfilis

Attorneys for both men told the paper the shooting happened during a break in a business meeting the two were having to settle a business dispute.