He threatened to kill his ex, then gunned her down in front of her house, deputies say

A man suspected of shooting his ex-girlfriend outside her Frederickson home threatened to kill her the day before, according to court documents.

Tony French, 39, has been on the run since he allegedly gunned down his ex over a custody dispute Friday.

On Monday, Pierce County prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest and charged the Oregon man with attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

“He knows we’re looking for him, and we’re going to continue to try and hunt him down before he hurts anyone else,” sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

His ex, a 35-year-old woman, remains in critical condition after being shot three times.

Their 18-month-old son was not injured. He was asleep in the Frederickson home, along with two teenagers.

Charging papers give this account:

French’s ex and her new boyfriend were sitting outside their home in the 16000 block of 69th Avenue Court East having a cigarette when they noticed several items outside the home had been moved.

That worried them since French allegedly threatened to kill his ex the day before.

“They took this threat seriously because the defendant had previously broken into their home and assaulted (his ex) with a bat,” records state.

As they stood outside their home, French drove up in a stolen car about 7:25 a.m. and fired several shots.

Both victims ran but his ex was shot three times.

“The defendant stopped the vehicle and shot at her several more times,” records show.

He then drove away.

Investigators believe French fired at least 10 shots.

French has a prior conviction for fourth-degree assault and is prohibited from possessing weapons. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone who knows his whereabouts is asked to call 911.

He is described as black, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 210 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

He was last seen driving a stolen black Toyota Corolla with Oregon license plate 955HEE.

This story was originally published September 11, 2018 at 8:58 AM.