Murder suspect Derek Spencer killed in shootout with Placer County deputies near Colfax

44-year-old Derek Spencer was shot dead by deputies in Placer County's Iowa Hills area after a manhunt. He had earlier killed a 76-year-old woman in her home.

Placer County manhunt ends in fatal shootout near Colfax

A manhunt for a murder suspect in Placer County came to a deadly conclusion on Monday when 44-year-old Derek Spencer was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with sheriff's deputies in the Iowa Hills area northeast of Colfax, abc7news.com reports.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office said Spencer had been the subject of an extensive manhunt during which he allegedly set several fires, rammed a patrol vehicle and fired at officers and law enforcement helicopters.

On Sunday, Spencer shot and killed 76-year-old Cheryl Macy inside her home. Authorities said he had been looking for a place to hide after disabling a deputy's vehicle.

"We don't believe there was any connection," a sheriff's spokesperson named Wayne said. "Right now it just appears that after he struck and disabled a deputy's vehicle he was just looking for a place to get off the main road and unfortunately for Ms. Macy, it was her residence."

Spencer had been arrested and released on bond three times during the same month on lesser charges, including car theft, according to the sheriff's office.

The manhunt concluded in the early hours of Monday when Spencer was killed in the shootout with deputies.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)