Placer County deputies say a 44-year-old suspect rammed a patrol car, opened fire on officers, and then aimed at the sheriff’s helicopter overhead, putting the rural town of Iowa Hill under lockdown while the search ran through the night.
Updated Tuesday, September 22. The manhunt is over. Deputies shot and killed Derek Spencer at about 4:00 a.m. Monday, September 21, after he fired at them from behind a berm during a standoff south of Colfax. No deputies were injured, and the shelter-in-place advisory for Iowa Hill has ended. What follows is how the two days unfolded.
Story Snapshot
- Deputies named Derek Spencer, 44, as the suspect wanted for several felonies, including pointing a gun at people earlier the same day.
- The sheriff’s office says he rammed a patrol vehicle, fired at deputies on the ground, and fired at a law enforcement helicopter.
- Residents in Iowa Hill were ordered to stay inside and lock their doors during the search.
- Deputies killed Spencer at roughly 4:00 a.m. Monday after he fired on them from behind a berm. No deputies were hurt.
- Spencer was wanted in the killing of a woman near Iowa Hill, whose identity has not been released.
He Fired At The Helicopter
Deputies reported that Spencer rammed a patrol vehicle while they searched the Iowa Hill Road area. They also said he fired at law enforcement on the ground and at the helicopter supporting the search from above. No injuries were reported in those early encounters. The sheriff’s account, echoed by several local outlets, described a moving threat and a fast-changing scene across steep terrain and limited road access.
Firing on an aircraft is what separated this from an ordinary foot pursuit. A helicopter is the one asset that makes a search like this workable in country where the roads run out, and a suspect willing to shoot at it is telling deputies exactly how the day is going to go.
Deputies Identify Suspect and Warn of Immediate Danger
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office identified Derek Spencer, age 44, as the suspect in a series of felonies on Sunday. The agency said Spencer earlier pointed a gun at victims, then fled into the rugged Iowa Hill area east of Colfax. Officials labeled him armed and dangerous. Deputies urged residents to lock doors, stay inside, and report any sightings. The warning framed the search as an active public safety risk in a remote, hard-to-reach community.
Authorities have since said Spencer was wanted in the killing of a woman near Iowa Hill. Her identity has not been released. He had also been arrested earlier this month on charges including assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, burglary and vehicle theft, and authorities say he stole a vehicle and firearms in El Dorado County on Saturday, the day before the encounter that started the search.
Lockdown Orders and Search Zone in Iowa Hill
Placer County officials directed people in Iowa Hill to shelter in place as the manhunt widened. Advisories told residents to stay indoors, secure homes, and avoid travel in the area. The guidance aimed to limit civilian exposure and give deputies control of key roads and trail access. Reports placed the search about 10 miles east of Colfax with air support overhead, consistent with standard high-risk perimeter tactics in rural terrain.
Agencies often issue shelter orders first when an armed suspect is loose and release detailed records later, after the immediate risk drops. That pattern fits this response, where warnings, perimeters, and air units supported safety while the facts were still unfolding. Public records and video, when released, typically follow days or weeks later through normal processes or required disclosures in serious force incidents.
How It Ended
It ended before dawn on Monday. A California Highway Patrol aircraft using infrared located Spencer in heavily forested country south of Colfax, and deputies closed in for a standoff that ran roughly two hours. Drone footage recorded him starting two separate fires during it. At about 4:00 a.m. he fired toward deputies from behind a berm. They returned fire and killed him.
No deputies were injured. The advisory for Iowa Hill residents was lifted, and the roads and trails that had been closed reopened. As in any fatal use-of-force incident, the shooting itself will now be reviewed, and the detailed record of what happened in those two hours will come out through that process rather than in the first days after it.
Sources:
nypost.com, kcra.com, fox40.com, cbsnews.com, sacbee.com