POINCIANA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man suspected of killing his girlfriend fatally shot himself following a standoff with deputies early Thursday after letting the woman's mother take two young girls from the home, authorities said.

Polk County deputies responded to a Poinciana area home shortly after midnight and made contact with Jason Ramirez Comas, 38, according to a sheriff's office news release. His girlfriend's parents had gone to the home after not being able to contact them.

Ramirez Comas told the victim's mother by phone to come inside and take two young girls away. The mother did so, later telling deputies she didn't see her 33-year-old daughter or Ramirez Comas.

When deputies arrived, they were able to communicate with Ramirez Comas through the door. He told them he shot and killed his girlfriend, the release said. He also told the deputies that he previously worked as a police officer in Puerto Rico and would not harm them, but he said he would kill himself if they entered the house.

A SWAT team responded and spent several hours trying to convince Ramirez Comas to surrender. They eventually entered the home and found Ramirez Comas and girlfriend dead in a bedroom, authorities said. Investigators didn't immediately know how long she had been dead. Her name wasn't immediately released.