rain over napa
rain over napa
(Image credit: rain over napa)

A Napa Valley vineyard owner is believed to have shot one of his investors dead before fleeing the scene and killing himself, according to police reports.

Police arrived at a vineyard south of Yountville on Monday to find one man dead from a ‘gunshot wound to the head’ and another man, who was armed, hurrying to flee the scene in a black SUV.

Napa County Sheriff’s Office subsequently identified the shooter as Robert Dahl, owner of Dahl Vineyards. A high-speed chase involving a police helicopter followed officers’ arrival at the scene.

The SUV was eventually surrounded by specialist SWAT teams in woods on the border between Napa and Sonoma Counties. But, the man inside was found dead. He was believed to have shot himself.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Dahl had chased one of his estate’s investors, Emad Rasmy Tawfilis, through a vineyard in his SUV before shooting him dead with a handgun and then fleeing. Tawfilis was reported to have alerted police before he was shot.

The two men were reported to be involved in a legal dispute over a $1.2m loan.

Written by Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.