Left inset: Shalini Thakur (GoFundMe). Right inset: Rohit Rohit (Department of Homeland Security). Background: The Panera Bread in California where Rohit Rohit chased down and killed Shalini Thakur (KCRA/YouTube).
A California woman was chased through the parking lot of a Panera Bread and shot dead in broad daylight, with officials saying her killer was a DoorDash delivery driver who was obsessed with her.
"This young lady was chased down and gunned down, and then he stands over her and executes her," said Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper in an interview with local NBC affiliate KCRA, describing the killing as "unbelievable."
Homeland Security officials say Rohit Rohit, 22, was in the United States illegally when he murdered Shalini Thakur, 38, of Sacramento, outside a Panera Bread on Howe Avenue last Tuesday, then took his own life.
"[Thakur] was approached at her car by the culprit, Rohit Rohit," DHS officials say in a press release, citing local reports and statements issued by Sacramento police.
"When she tried to run away, Rohit chased her down, pulled out a gun, and shot her multiple times," the DHS release explains. "After she had fallen to the ground, he shot her again in the head at close range before fleeing in his vehicle."
Police caught up with Rohit not long after the shooting and found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car. He had been stalking and harassing Thakur for months, including sitting outside her home for hours and secretly tracking her vehicle, according to her family and officials.
"Authorities said that he had stalked her since January 2026, when the victim found an Apple AirTag under the hood of her car," the DHS release states. "Later, he deflated the woman's vehicle tires and followed her to work so he could pretend to offer her help. At one point, he allegedly obtained a copy of her apartment key so he could enter her home while she slept. Even after she got a restraining order against Rohit in May, he continued to stalk her as recently as July."
Hours before her death, Thakur spoke with her mother, Sudesh Kumari, by phone. It would be their last conversation, according to Kumari, who spoke to KCRA about her daughter's last day alive.
Nearly an hour before the shooting, Thakur told Kumari she would call her back in 15 minutes. But she never did.
"Please call me," Kumari wrote to Thakur in a text message. "I am worried about you."
Police say Rohit arrived by car at the Panera Bread shortly before 3 p.m., KCRA reports. Thakur was dropped off near her vehicle, which was already parked there, and Rohit was waiting for her.
"He, obviously, developed a real fixation on her," said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, at a press conference last week.
"At one point, I think he told her, 'I want to marry you,'" Gandhi recalled. "We were at that point of obsession."
Police say the stalking began after Rohit met Thakur through food deliveries at her work. Thakur reported the incidents to authorities in March but declined to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order, according to police. She eventually sought a civil harassment restraining order months later.
Thakur told the court that Rohit had threatened to shoot himself or anyone she met after admitting to stalking her since September 2025. A proof of service filing shows that Rohit was personally served with temporary restraining-order documents on May 19.
On July 29, Thakur reported to police that Rohit had violated the restraining order by leaving random grocery items outside her front door. Deputies tried to contact him but were unsuccessful.
Kumari believes the justice system failed to protect her daughter.
"My daughter call every time," she told KCRA. "Police, restraining order after restraining order. He came here."
Kumari added, "Police not protect my daughter."
The sheriff's office told reporters that deputies and detectives remained in contact with Thakur for months and repeatedly encouraged her to seek a restraining order due to safety concerns.
A DoorDash spokesperson told The Sacramento Bee that it was cooperating with the police investigation.
"This is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are with Ms. Thakur's family and loved ones as they grieve this immense loss," a DoorDash spokesperson said. "DoorDash has absolutely zero tolerance for violence or harassment of any kind, and we encourage anyone experiencing unwanted attention to report it directly in the DoorDash app, and to contact local law enforcement if they feel unsafe. We are fully cooperating with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office as they investigate."
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