A Texas BMX legend has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he apparently fatally shot an employee at his bike shop, in a case that has left the cycling community reeling.
Wesley Don Johle, 58, was discovered by police at his Rowlett home shortly after the body of James Kincheloe, 40, was found dead inside the Garland store on February 16.
There was no sign of any forced entry.
Surveillance footage from inside the store showed “sufficient probable cause” to suspect Johle, Garland police Lt. Richard Maldonado said.
Don Johle in Fort Worth, Texas in July 2020
Johle is seen in action in 1984
Wesley Don Johle, 58, (left) was found dead at his home when police went to arrest him on suspicion of killing his employee James Kincheloe, 40, on February 16.
Johle was one of the most celebrated BMX racers in Texas – I pictured her on the number one bike
Investigators are now trying to find out what happened in the moments before Kincheloe’s death.
Johle was one of the most celebrated BMX racers in the US, with 50 BMX national titles to his name and over 500 career wins.
He retired in 1985 and opened the bike shop, which was owned by his mother.
In 2012, he was one of the first seven inducted into the Texas BMX Hall of Fame.
Kincheloe’s wife and mother of their two young children said the family has been left reeling.
Daisy McKee said Johle was not a violent person and was struggling to make sense of her husband’s murder.
“I didn’t know Don was an angry or sad person,” she said. WFAAadding that her husband had worked at the store for a decade.
McKee said the store’s general manager, Preston Hoeger, told him it appeared the couple had fallen out.
“Preston, the one who found him, his co-worker, said the way he was when they found him it looked like he was trying to get the gun from Don,” he said.
‘No matter what, he was trying to stop it.’
Kincheloe with his wife, Daisy McKee
The father of two was devoted to his children, his wife said.
Kincheloe can be seen in the last photo he uploaded to Facebook
Kincheloe lived for the bikes and his family, his wife Daisy said.
He said his children keep asking if their father is coming home and they miss riding their bikes to school with him.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “He had a humor like no one I’ve ever met.”
Johle is pictured in his racing days
Police now hope to interview other employees to find out if there has been any recent tension between the two men.
A woman who works next door told him fox 4 she knew the men casually and never heard of any problem at the bike shop.
She said the lights were on in the bike shop when she left on the night of February 15, which she found unusual since they usually closed before her.
Johle wasn’t just a talented BMX racer.
After his retirement from the sport, he took up jetski racing and became a regional champion, ranking as one of the top ten sport jet ski racers in the world.
He then took up driving, racing a Legend car, a smaller, cheaper fiberglass version of a NASCAR race car, and won a championship at Texas Motor Speedway.
The bike shop in Garland, Texas, is shown after the murder.
Johle is shown racing on the number one bike. He retired in 1985
Johle in action as a young man. She ran across Europe and the United States.
In 2018, Johle said dallas trip website felt lucky to be working in a sport he loved.
“I believe that the combination of hard work and dedication has played an important role in the success of our business,” he said.
“It’s great to be able to make a career out of something you’re passionate about and love to do.”
