PLACER COUNTY, CA — A search for a wanted and armed man in the Iowa Hill area of Placer County ended in a deadly shootout and the discovery of a woman who had been shot to death inside a home. Deputies identified the suspect as 44-year-old Derek Spencer and said he was wanted on multiple felony counts, including allegations that he pointed a firearm at victims.
According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first found Spencer in the area, where investigators said he rammed a sheriff’s patrol vehicle and fled into rough terrain. The manhunt then expanded across a steep, heavily forested landscape as deputies and other agencies tried to locate him. Investigators said Spencer also fired at law enforcement and at helicopters during the search.
Deputies say Spencer fled after ramming a patrol car and shooting at law enforcement
The sheriff’s office said the confrontation began when deputies located Spencer in Iowa Hill and tried to take him into custody. Investigators said he struck a Placer County Sheriff’s Office vehicle with his own and escaped, setting off a broader search in the surrounding hills and forest.
Law enforcement said Spencer opened fire during the pursuit, including shots directed at deputies and at aircraft overhead. Officials described him as armed and dangerous and said the search shifted quickly from a patrol response to a multiagency manhunt. The area’s thick woods and rugged slopes made it difficult for crews to move through the terrain and keep track of him.
Tactical teams found a woman dead inside a home where Spencer had been earlier
During the search on September 20, tactical teams cleared a home in the Iowa Hill area where investigators said Spencer had been earlier. Inside, they found an adult woman who had been shot and killed. Investigators said they believe Spencer killed her before running into the forest.
The sheriff’s office said the finding changed the focus of the operation from locating a fleeing suspect to investigating a homicide. Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name. They said the death appeared to be connected to Spencer’s movements that day and to the broader crime spree that preceded the manhunt.
Infrared aircraft, drones, and steep terrain shaped the final confrontation
Just before 2:30 a.m. Monday, members of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team moved into the heavily wooded area where Spencer was hiding. Investigators said a California Highway Patrol aircraft using infrared technology helped pinpoint his location and allowed teams to plan their approach.
Deputies and other tactical personnel then spent hours climbing through dark, steep terrain before reaching him. Once they got close, investigators said Spencer fired several rounds, creating a standoff. Drone footage later showed him starting two separate fires while hiding behind a berm, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies returned fire after Spencer shot again at about 4 a.m.
At about 4 a.m., investigators said Spencer fired again toward deputies from behind the berm. Deputies returned fire and struck him, killing him at the scene. The sheriff’s office said the exchange ended the standoff and brought the search to a close.
Officials said the operation involved a wide net of agencies, including the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, CHP Air Operations, California State Parks, and several local police departments. The sheriff’s office said the combined effort was necessary because of the size of the search area and the difficult conditions on the ground.
Earlier arrests in Sacramento County and Folsom preceded the Placer County case
Investigators said Spencer had been arrested three times earlier in September before the Placer County confrontation. On September 3, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and resisting arrest charges. He was released on bond on September 11.
On September 13, Folsom police arrested Spencer for burglary and released him the same day on his own recognizance. Then on September 15, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office arrested him for stealing a car, and he was released the next day on bond. Investigators said that on September 19, he stole a vehicle and guns and shot at a moving vehicle in El Dorado County before the events in Iowa Hill the next day.
Sheriff’s office calls the case a violent spree with a tragic end
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office described the case as a dangerous sequence of crimes that ended in the death of an innocent woman and then Spencer himself. In a statement, the agency said its thoughts were with the family affected by what it called a senseless and random act of violence.
Investigators have not said what led Spencer to the Iowa Hill home or why he targeted the woman. For now, the case leaves behind a homicide investigation, a fatal deputy-involved shooting, and questions about the crimes that unfolded across multiple counties in a matter of days.
