Uvalde, TX: Suicide follows Uvalde slaying

An elderly man shot and killed his girlfriend, called 911 and then committed suicide when officers arrived at his Uvalde home Monday night, police there said Tuesday.
Hours later, another man shot himself in a Uvalde hotel room as officers investigated reports of a separate planned murder-suicide.
“It's kind of strange, but during the holidays, we tend to see suicides increase,” Uvalde Police Chief Robert MacDonald said.
Elias Varela, 80, shot his 44-year-old girlfriend in the chest, MacDonald said.
The woman, Rosemary Barrera, was pronounced dead at the scene. Varela died at University Hospital in San Antonio shortly after he was flown there.
Police said Varela called 911 about 8:30 p.m. to report there was going to be a murder-suicide in the 300 block of Northeast Lane, where the couple lived.
“Our units responded, and when they knocked on the door, they heard a single gunshot,” MacDonald said. “Our SWAT units forced entry and found the woman dead. He had a gunshot wound to the chest.”
MacDonald said it appeared Barrera had been dead for some time, and that Varela likely called 911 after she had been killed. It took police about four minutes to arrive at the home after Varela called, MacDonald said.
Although police had no motive, Varela reportedly left a note in which he asked for God's forgiveness and stipulated which relatives should get his vehicles, MacDonald said.
Police hadn't been called to the home before, the police chief said. Officers didn't know how long the couple had been together.
Hours after the double shooting, Uvalde police were notified by the Comal County Sheriff's Office that a man driving a Jeep in the area reportedly was en route to Victoria, where he planned to kill his wife, MacDonald said.
About 1 a.m., officers tracked the man's cell phone to a hotel in Uvalde, police said. The man talked to officers on the phone and apparently was OK, but when police arrived at the hotel room they heard a single gunshot, MacDonald said. They forced their way in and found the man dead.
His wife, who was at the couple's home in Victoria, was unharmed. His name has not yet been released.
“We're just glad we found him here before he made it to Victoria,” MacDonald said.