Sacramento officials identify man suspected of killing woman before shootout with deputies
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday evening released the name of a man suspected of killing a woman Saturday night before he died in a shootout with sheriff’s deputies in Rancho Cordova.
Christopher Walker, 29, of Sacramento died after an exchange of gunfire with deputies in the 160 block of Dutchess Way in the Centennial Estates complex near Mills Station Road.
Walker was shot two times by deputies and suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, sheriff’s officials said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
Coroner officials also released the name of the woman who was killed by Walker, according to sheriff’s officials. She was identified as Betty Lou Winn Spirk, 58, of Sacramento.
Sheriff’s officials said Spirk was shot four times by Walker. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities received a call around 7 p.m. that night from a woman who said her grandson was in her home pointing a gun at her and telling her to leave. She had a restraining order against him, said Sacramento sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Tess Deterding.
Arriving deputies recognized the gunman outside the home. The man fled to the rear of the home, and the deputies chased him. That led to the shootout, Deterding said, in which the suspect shot a deputy.
“The suspect engaged deputies with gunfire as the deputies entered the backyard, striking one of the deputies multiple times in the lower body,” Deterding said in Wednesday’s news release. “Deputies continued to exchange gunfire with the suspect, who was ultimately subdued.”
It was unclear in the news release when Walker shot himself.
The wounded deputy, identified as Eric Schmidt, was shot at least twice, according to sheriff’s officials. Schmidt was shot in the leg, hitting a major artery. The deputy underwent surgery that night and was expected to survive, the Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday morning.
After the shootout with Walker, the deputies discovered Spirk’s body. Deterding said Spirk had been shot in the head. Spirk lived in the home with Walker’s grandmother.
An investigation into the deadly confrontation continued Wednesday by the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and Professional Standards Division, which is standard practice for any police shooting that occurs in the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction. Also, an independent review of the incident will be conducted by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
The deputies involved in the shooting are 15-, 8- and 4-year veterans of the Sheriff’s Office. The deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, which is Sheriff’s Office policy. Sheriff’s officials did not release the name of the deputies Wednesday.
This story was updated at 11:47 a.m. on Aug. 27 to include details about the officer who was shot.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 8:45 PM.
