A San Antonio, Texas, police officer detained a man for jaywalking last month before chasing him on foot after the man ran away, shooting at him 15 times during the pursuit.
But police say Jeffrey Schopp died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
The incident took place on Dec. 3 when San Antonio police officer James Lopez was driving his patrol car and spotted a man with a backpack crossing a street without using a crosswalk, which is a Class C Misdemeanor in Texas, punishable by up to a $200 fine.
Lopez pulled his car over and stepped out, ordering the 33-year-old man to walk toward him and stand in front of his patrol car.
“I’m not doing all that, man,” Schopp responded as he sat on a railing. “Am I under arrest?”
“You’re detained right now. Walk over there,” Lopez said.
“For what?” Schopp asked.
“For crossing the street without a crosswalk, go walk over there,” the cop responded.
“I apologize, sir,” said Schopp.
But Lopez began raising his voice, expressing annoyance towards the man.
“I ain’t looking for an apology,” the cop said. “Come over here right now before I put you in handcuffs.”
Schopp continued apologizing, telling the cop that “I had to get to the hospital,” but the cop was insistent that he walked towards him.
“I ain’t listening to sh-t,” Lopez said. ”Come here. Come over here now.”
That was when Schopp dropped his backpack and ran across the street into a parking garage, with Lopez pursuing him. He was joined by other cops who were also pursuing Schopp.
At one point during the pursuit, Schopp ended up in a drainage ditch with the cops close behind.
“Get the f-ck on the ground,” Lopez yelled at Schopp. “I’m going to f-ck you up.
“You’re going to get tased, bro. I’m going to f-cking tase you.”
But Schopp tried to run away under a bridge over the ditch, apparently pulling out a gun, which is when Lopez fired 12 times.
“He has a f-cking gun!” Lopez yelled as he placed a new magazine into his gun, and Schopp appeared on the other side of the bridge in the drainage ditch.
The other cops can be heard yelling, “Drop the gun,” but it does not appear as if they fired their guns.
But Lopez fired an additional three times after replacing the magazine in the gun, which is when Schopp fell to the ground.
San Antonio police initially said that Schopp had fired at the officer and was killed after he was struck in the chest by a bullet, but now they are saying Schopp had died from a self-inflicted gun wound,” according to KENS 5.
Lopez, who has been with the San Antonio Police Department for four years, has been placed on paid administrative leave as the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office investigates the shooting.
The deadly encounter marked the 20th San Antonio Police Department officer shooting incident in 2024, according to KENS 5.
“Investigations into officer-involved shootings are comprehensive and can take over a year,” said San Antonio Police Lieutenant David Bacarreza in a critical incident video providing details on the shooting.
