Marine Shot; Ex-Wife, 2nd Man Arrested
TUSTIN — A 31-year-old Tustin woman and a Mississippi man were in custody Monday on suspicion of conspiring to murder the woman’s ex-husband, a 37-year-old Marine who remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds under 24-hour guard, police said.
Police declined to elaborate on the alleged murder plot they say was hatched by Debra Denise Paredes and Marc Garric Johnson, 31, of Jackson, Miss., who police said was arrested running away from the scene of the Sunday night shooting.
“We’re not going to get into motive right now,†police Sgt. Brent Zicarelli said. “We’re looking at other potential suspects both here and in Mississippi.â€
Paredes and Johnson were being held on suspicion of attempted murder and conspiracy at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each, police said.
Police did not identify the victim, citing safety issues. The man, described as a “career Marine†stationed in Orange County, was shot multiple times in the upper torso with a handgun. A guard has been posted at his hospital room to prevent another attack, Zicarelli said.
Johnson was arrested shortly after the shooting in the 1000 block of San Juan Street when members of the Tustin police gang unit saw him sprinting down the street wearing a long, stringy wig, Zicarelli said. The shooting is not being investigated as a gang-related crime, he added.
The victim told police at the scene that his ex-wife was behind the attack, leading investigators to her.
Police ask that anyone who witnessed the shooting call investigators at (714) 573-3247.
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