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Man wanted for murder dead after shootout with Placer County deputies
KCRA • • nation
Key Points:
- Derek Spencer, 44, wanted for murder and multiple felonies, was killed in a shootout with Placer County deputies early Monday after firing shots at law enforcement during a standoff in the Iowa Hill area.
- Deputies had been searching for Spencer since Sunday, using infrared technology via a California Highway Patrol aircraft to locate him in difficult, forested terrain.
- Spencer is suspected of fatally shooting a woman inside a home before fleeing into the forest, and was involved in an armed carjacking and other violent incidents in El Dorado and Placer counties.
- Prior to the shootout, Spencer rammed a stolen vehicle into a patrol car to escape, and had recently been arrested multiple times in Sacramento County for serious offenses including assault on a peace officer and vehicle theft.
- Authorities maintained a perimeter in the area following the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.
