Roseville kidnapping suspect shoots self dead in Reno after police chase, authorities say
Roseville police identified a man suspected of committing an armed kidnapping in that city on Friday who then shot and killed himself in Nevada on Saturday after trying to carjack another person and leading police on a chase, according to Reno police.
California Highway Patrol officers first notified Roseville police around 10:30 p.m. Friday that they had made contact with a person who accused Marcus Gifford, 28, of kidnapping and domestic violence near Nyack Road, according to Roseville Police Department spokesperson Lt. Chris Ciampa.
Ciampa said Roseville police then notified their Reno counterparts, who had responded around 7:30 a.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Silverada Boulevard to reports of an attempted armed carjacking, according to Reno police spokesperson Chris Johnson. The alleged attempted carjacking victim told responding officers that Gifford successfully carjacked a second vehicle and fled after unsuccessfully trying to steal the first victim’s car at gunpoint.
Gifford then forced the second victim to drive him to the nearby town of Sparks, where he carjacked a third car and fled in that vehicle, Johnson said.
Authorities matched the suspect’s description to that of Gifford, whom Roseville police accused of committing armed kidnapping and domestic violence on Friday, and determined they were the same person, Johnson said.
Nevada Highway Patrol officers located Gifford fleeing in the third vehicle near Brierley Way in Sparks and pursued him, along with Reno police, until he crashed into a tree on Sutro Street in Reno, according to Johnson.
Gifford shot and killed himself as police were trying to persuade him to surrender to arrest, according to Johnson. There were no other people present in the vehicle.
The Reno Police Department will lead the investigation, with help from the Sparks Police Department.
“There is no outstanding threat to the community and this investigation is still ongoing,” Johnson said.
People with information about the incident are urged to call the Reno Police Department’s non-emergency line at 775-334-2677. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 775-322-4900 or visit secretwitness.com.
This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM.
