Man kills mother of his kids over worries she would take them from him, Florida cops say

A man shot and killed the mother of his kids near a restaurant because he was worried she was going to take their children away, Florida authorities said.

The 29-year-old mom called 911 to tell police her estranged boyfriend had shot her before she later died from her injuries, according to Haines City police.

Now, 46-year-old Rolando Guevara Zarate faces an array of charges in connection with the woman’s death, the Haines City Police Department said in a July 1 news release.

His attorney information was not immediately available in Polk County court records.

Shortly before 11 a.m. on June 30, Zarate shot his estranged girlfriend of more than seven years in the parking lot near a Mexican restaurant, according to police.

He fled in his Ford Mustang and ditched the gun as law enforcement searched for him by land and air, police said. An officer with the Winter Haven Police Department spotted him about 20 minutes after police responded to the shooting, officials said.

The officer stopped his car, but he got out and ran until he was taken into custody, police said.

Zarate had previously been accused of domestic battery against the woman. He told investigators he was worried his ex-girlfriend was “going to take their children from him,” police said.

The woman died about an hour after the shooting from multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Investigators didn’t immediately identify her as they worked to notify family members of her death.

Police said Zarate is charged with:

• First-degree murder
• Aggravated stalking
• Violation of an injunction for protection against domestic violence
• Discharging a firearm in public
• Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence
• Unlawful use of a two-way communications device

Haines City is about a 60-mile drive northeast from Tampa.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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