A California woman was chased through a Panera Bread parking lot and shot to death in broad daylight by a DoorDash driver who had allegedly been stalking and harassing her for months.
Shalini Thakur, 38, of Sacramento, was killed outside the Panera Bread on Howe Avenue last Tuesday.
“This young lady was chased down and gunned down, and then he stands over her and executes her,” Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper told KCRA, calling the killing “unbelievable.”
Authorities identified the shooter as 22-year-old Rohit Rohit.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Rohit was in the United States illegally at the time of the killing.
Officials said Thakur was approaching her car when Rohit confronted her.
When she tried to run away, authorities said Rohit chased her through the parking lot, pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times.
After Thakur fell to the ground, Rohit allegedly shot her again in the head at close range before fleeing in his vehicle.
Police caught up with him a short time later and found him dead inside his car from what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators say the killing came after months of escalating stalking and harassment.
According to Thakur’s family and law enforcement, Rohit had been watching her home, tracking her movements and repeatedly showing up in her life.
Officials said the stalking dated back to at least January 2026, when Thakur discovered an Apple AirTag hidden under the hood of her car.
Authorities also said Rohit later deflated her 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 and entered her home while she was sleeping.
Even after Thakur obtained a restraining order in May, officials said the stalking continued as recently as July.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. Amar Gandhi said Rohit had developed a fixation on Thakur.
“He, obviously, developed a real fixation on her,” Gandhi said.
“At one point, I think he told her, ‘I want to marry you,’” he added. “We were at that point of obsession.”
Police said Rohit first met Thakur while making food deliveries to her workplace.
Thakur reported the behavior to authorities in March but initially chose not to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order, according to police.
She later sought a civil harassment restraining order.
In court filings, Thakur said Rohit had admitted stalking her since September 2025 and had threatened to shoot himself or anyone she began seeing.
Records show Rohit was personally served with temporary restraining-order paperwork on May 19.
Then, on July 29, Thakur told police that Rohit had violated the order by leaving random groceries outside her front door.
Deputies tried to contact him but were unable to reach him.
Hours before her death, Thakur spoke with her mother, Sudesh Kumari, by phone.
About an hour before the shooting, Thakur told her mother she would call back in 15 minutes.
She never did.
Worried, Kumari sent her daughter a message saying, “Please call me. I am worried about you.”
Police said Rohit arrived at the Panera Bread parking lot shortly before 3 p.m.
Thakur was dropped off near her own vehicle, which was already parked there, and investigators said Rohit was waiting for her.
Kumari said she believes the system failed to protect her daughter.
“My daughter call every time,” she told KCRA. “Police, restraining order after restraining order. He came here.”
“Police not protect my daughter,” she added.
The sheriff’s office said deputies and detectives had remained in contact with Thakur for months and repeatedly encouraged her to seek a restraining order because of concerns about her safety.
DoorDash said it was cooperating with the 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 spokesperson said.
The company added that it has “absolutely zero tolerance for violence or harassment of any kind” and encouraged people experiencing unwanted attention to report it through the app and contact law enforcement if they feel unsafe.
