Suspect in Orange shooting of ex-girlfriend found dead of apparent suicide in San Diego County

A man suspected of shooting his former girlfriend in Orange fled to San Diego County, where he apparently committed suicide, police said on Sunday, March 17.

Officers had sought Patrick Allen French, 33, of Costa Mesa, as a suspect in the March 13 shooting of his former girlfriend. State Park officials performing routine patrols located the body of a man matching his description in an area near Palomar Mountain State Park on Saturday, March 16, said Orange Police Sgt. Phil McMullin.

Coroner officials had not yet confirmed his identity, but tattoos on the body discovered over the weekend matched those belonging to French, according to McMullin. He said the man had died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and was found near a Ford Explorer that had been described by police as French’s getaway vehicle. His death was being investigated as a suicide.

Meanwhile, the woman French was suspected of shooting remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon, according to McMullin.