CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A tense standoff ended when a murder suspect shot himself inside a Motel 6 in southwest Charlotte on Friday afternoon.

Police said they tracked the suspect, 27-year-old Benjamin Wallace, to the motel a few hours after a woman was shot to death in an apartment in west Charlotte. Investigators said 25-year-old Danasha Sanders was killed around 10 a.m. on Brooksvale Road in the Boulevard Homes community.

Officers said they had to evacuate workers from the motel when Wallace refused to surrender peacefully.

“We was in the laundry room. They had us laying down on the floor at first cause they heard gunfire,” said employee Reneta Logan.

Police said Wallace did not survive the gunshot.

“We made contact with him over the phone, but he decided to take his own life,” said Officer Robert Fey.

Officers have not revealed the relationship between the man and the woman.

Sanders’ children have been handed over to the Department of Social Services until a relative can be found to care for them.