A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was chased and shot dead outside a restaurant in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, allegedly by a 22-year-old man who had reportedly stalked and harassed her for nearly a year despite a restraining order against him.
Shalini Thakur was attacked in broad daylight outside a Panera Bread outlet in the Arden-Arcade area. The accused, identified as Rohit, fled the scene but was later tracked down by police on Highway 50, where he reportedly shot himself during a standoff with law enforcement.
During the attack, Thakur reportedly tried to run away, but Rohit chased her and fired several shots in front of onlookers. After she fell to the ground, he allegedly fired another shot at close range.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire at around 3 pm found Thakur unresponsive outside the restaurant in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, according to local broadcaster KCRA.
Police subsequently traced the suspect’s vehicle.
According to Lieutenant Amar Gandhi, officers located the car and attempted to stop it. Rohit reportedly braked suddenly and came to a halt on the highway, prompting the California Highway Patrol to close all eastbound lanes during the police operation.
Footage aired by KCRA showed the suspect’s vehicle surrounded by sheriff’s vehicles, including an armoured tactical vehicle, as officers remained positioned with their weapons drawn.
Deputies eventually broke the driver-side window and deployed a drone inside the vehicle before approaching it.
Rohit was found slumped in the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities later confirmed that he had died. KCRA reported that there was no indication that deputies had fired their weapons.
Mother Says Daughter Had Been Living in Fear
Shalini’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, said Rohit had been stalking and harassing her daughter for nearly a year.
According to her, Rohit wanted to marry Shalini, but she had rejected him because of the significant age difference between them.
“She was so scared of him,” Kumari told KCRA.
Kumari also recalled her final conversation with her only child. The two reportedly spoke at 1.58 pm, nearly an hour before the shooting. Shalini told her mother she would call back within 15 minutes, but the call never came.
Kumari, whose husband died two years ago, later shared a series of unanswered calls and WhatsApp messages she had sent her daughter, including “Please call me” and “I am worried about you.”
Stalking Allegedly Escalated Over Months
According to local media reports citing court documents, the alleged stalking began around September 2025 and became increasingly frequent and serious.
Shalini reportedly knew Rohit through DoorDash pickups from her workplace.
She later obtained a restraining order after his alleged behaviour escalated. Court documents reportedly accused him of waiting outside her home for hours, deflating her car tyres and placing an Apple AirTag underneath her vehicle to track her movements.
The documents also alleged that Rohit pressured Shalini to marry him and attempted to control whom she could socialise with.
On one occasion, he was accused of making a copy of the key to her apartment and entering while she was asleep.
Rohit was served with a restraining order on May 19 but allegedly violated it later. In late July, he reportedly left groceries outside Shalini’s home despite the restraining order being in place.
The killing has raised fresh questions about stalking, restraining-order violations and whether more could have been done to protect the victim before the harassment escalated into deadly violence.
