SACRAMENTO, CA — A man accused in a deadly Northern California crime spree was shot and killed Monday morning after a tense standoff in the forest north of Sacramento, authorities said. Placer County sheriff’s officials identified him as Derek Spencer, 44.
Investigators say Spencer was tied to a sequence of violent incidents that stretched across several counties, including a woman’s killing, stolen guns and cars, gunfire directed at deputies and a helicopter, and fires set as officers closed in. The confrontation ended after deputies said he fired from behind a berm in rugged terrain and they returned fire.
Deputies say the manhunt began with a chain of violent incidents across Northern California
Placer County sheriff’s officials said the events that led to the fatal shooting began over the weekend and quickly spread across multiple jurisdictions. On Saturday, Spencer allegedly brandished a firearm in Placer County, then stole a car and guns in El Dorado County and shot at a moving vehicle, according to the sheriff’s statement.
By the time authorities focused on him, they were dealing with more than a single crime scene. Officials described the case as a weeks-long rampage that had escalated into a broad public safety emergency, drawing in agencies from Placer, El Dorado, Nevada and Sacramento counties, along with city police and the California Highway Patrol.
Rural Iowa Hill became the center of the search as officers moved in
Authorities tracked Spencer to Iowa Hill, a wooded and remote area about 60 miles north of Sacramento. When deputies found him there, they say he rammed a Placer County sheriff’s patrol car and fled farther into the forest.
Officials also said he fired at deputies and at a law enforcement helicopter that was helping with the pursuit. Residents in the area were told to stay inside and lock their doors while officers searched the terrain. The wooded landscape made the operation harder, and deputies spent hours working through steep, difficult ground.
Woman found dead inside a home deputies believed Spencer had entered
During the search, deputies went to a home where they believed Spencer had gone. Inside, they found a woman dead. Authorities said they believed Spencer shot and killed her before fleeing.
Placer County sheriff’s officials did not immediately provide additional details about the woman or the circumstances of her death. The finding deepened the urgency of the manhunt and tied the search in the forest to a homicide investigation as officers tried to locate Spencer before he could do more harm.
Helicopters, drones and infrared tools helped officers close in
Multiple agencies joined the search, and officers used helicopters, drones and infrared technology to try to find Spencer in the dense forest. Authorities said he was eventually located in the area as the search tightened.
Officials said Spencer began starting fires as law enforcement closed in. The fires, and the standoff that followed, kept firefighters from reaching the scene right away. For residents and responders, the combination of gunfire, wildfire danger and rugged terrain made the situation especially dangerous.
Firefighters moved in after the shootout and contained about five acres
According to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials, firefighters were able to respond only after the gun battle ended. They moved in to handle the flames that had been set during the confrontation.
Cal Fire said the fire burned about 5 acres. The agency’s response came after hours in which the active shooting and the search for Spencer prevented crews from approaching the area safely. The blaze added another layer to a manhunt already marked by homicide, vehicle theft, gunfire and a patrol car crash.
Recent arrests show the case had been building for weeks before the shootout
Authorities said Spencer had been arrested several times in the days and weeks before Monday’s deadly encounter. Placer County sheriff’s officials said Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrested him on Sept. 3 on suspicion of felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.
He was released on Sept. 11 and arrested again two days later by Folsom police on suspicion of burglary, then released the same day on his own recognizance, deputies said. He was arrested again Tuesday by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies on suspicion of stealing a car and released the next day on bond. Investigators described those arrests as part of a longer pattern that culminated in the fatal standoff.
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