RENO - A man who had repeatedly been robbing local convenience stores since Nov. 2 with a fake gun was shot and killed Sunday after a police chase.

Scott Demars was under police surveillance on Sunday at the time he was shot, as police believed he was responsible for three armed robberies and two attempted armed robberies.

At about 3 p.m., Reno police saw Demars leave his apartment. Police then followed him undercover until Demars slipped behind the Valley Market on Denslowe Drive. Police say the man then put on a mask, pulled what looked like a handgun from his waistband and entered the store.

The officers notified dispatch that the suspect entered the store wearing a mask. They positioned themselves behind a vehicle west of the front doors and waited to stop and detain Demars upon his exit.

The officers said they had been concealing their uniform shirts while following Demars but revealed their identities before confronting the man outside the market, which they later learned that he had robbed.

As Demars exited the store the officers placed him at gunpoint, identified themselves and gave the suspect verbal commands to stop. Police said Demars did not have the firearm in his hand at that time. However, he did start running when the officers confronted him.

Demars pointed the fake gun toward officers three times during the chase, and officers shot back. During the chase, Demars allegedly tried to get into the passenger side of a car, but the driver refused to help him. Eventually, the man was hit and incapacitated.

Responding officers took Demars into custody and began CPR. REMSA paramedics arrived and took over resuscitation efforts. Demars was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene.

The weapon used by Demars was found to be a replica of a semi-automatic pistol, not a functioning firearm. The replica weapon had been painted black to enhance the resemblance of a semi-automatic pistol.

Police say the man was connected with the following robberies:

On Nov. 4 at 10:10 p.m. at the Quik Mart on 501 W. Fourth St. in Reno. The incident was labeled as an attempted armed robbery.

On Nov. 4 at 10:48 p.m. at the 7-11 on 15th Street in Sparks. The incident was labeled as an armed robbery.

On Nov. 5 10:48 p.m. at the C Mart at 829 C Street in Sparks. The incident was labeled as an attempted armed robbery.

On Nov. 6 at 6:39 p.m. at the Valley Market at 505 Denslowe in Reno. The incident was labeled as an attempted armed robbery.

The last is the armed robbery witnessed by the Reno officers on Sunday, again at the Valley Market.

In each of these cases it appears the same replica firearm was used and in each case the clerks and witnesses believed the weapon was an actual handgun.

The incident was the second time in 12 days that Reno police shot a man allegedly armed with a replica pistol.

Police say 44-year-old Charles James Bishop is recovering from wounds he got Oct. 28 at a downtown motel.

Police say Bishop aimed a toy gun with a red laser sight before two officers opened fire.