KERRVILLE, Texas – A murder suspect is dead after a standoff in Kerrville that lasted for at least 16 hours, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.
Fernando Rolon is accused of shooting and killing his Walmart coworker, Melissa Villagrana, on Monday night and then hiding in the Rio 10 theater, prompting the standoff.
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The movie theater where the standoff happened is across Highway 16.
Kerrville police confirmed Rolon worked at both the theater and Walmart.
The siren of an ambulance signaled the end to the hours-long standoff, which took the teamwork of local and state agencies.
Since Monday night, Bandera Road near the Rio 10 theater in Kerrville has been closed off and lined with law enforcement officers, including multiple SWAT crews.
The public was kept far from the scene, which involved an armed man.
Kerrville community members spent the whole day worried as agencies from Kerrville, San Antonio and the state worked to get Rolon out of the theater.
Kerrville Police Sgt. Jonathan Lamb said police saw no forced entry at the theater, so they believed he had a key to the building.
Lamb said authorities were communicating with Rolon by phone, but he suddenly stopped talking to officers. That’s when they deployed tear gas and robots in the theater to gauge his location.
Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a Methodist AirCare helicopter flew overhead and landed near the theater. Minutes later, an ambulance rushed away from the scene and the Kerr County sheriff confirmed Rolon was in custody.
Around 4:15 p.m., the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office announced Rolon had been found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head around 2:55 p.m. He was taken by ambulance to the Peterson Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
No law enforcement officers were injured during the standoff.
Investigators have not released a motive for the shooting.