Woman fatally shot outside Orange County hotel, likely by man she knew

A woman in her 40s was shot to death, allegedly by a man she likely knew, Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot outside the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in Lake Forest, an Orange County Sheriff’s official said.

The woman, whose name was not released, was shot multiple times about 1:15 p.m. in the 23000 block of Lake Center Drive. Sheriff’s deputies who responded to a 911 call found and detained a man in his 60s believed to be the shooter.

“The man was pointed out by several witnesses,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun.

The gravely injured woman was taken to a hospital, where she died one hour later.

Braun said the man “complied with commands” from deputies and no use of force was needed. But before he could be arrested, Braun said the suspect complained of “an unrelated health issue” and was taken to a hospital.

The arrested man is receiving treatment but is still being detained by the department.

Braun said the exact nature of the relationship between the two was unknown, but it was believed the pair knew each other.

“We do not believe this was a random incident and do not believe there are any other outstanding suspects or cause for concern for the community,” Braun said.

A handgun was located at the scene and will be tested to verify if the weapon was used in the shooting.

It is unknown if the male or female were hotel guests or arrived together.