Man who killed Sacramento woman identified as undocumented immigrant
Authorities said the 22-year-old suspect who shot a woman in a Sacramento parking lot had entered the United States illegally; he later died after a police standoff.
Federal officials confirmed that the suspect in the July shooting of 38-year-old Shalini Thakur was a 22-year-old man who entered the United States illegally in 2023. The Department of Homeland Security said the individual, identified as Rohit Rohit, arrived through Arizona, was detained by Border Patrol and later released. His immigration case remained pending with no scheduled hearings.
Thakur had reported a pattern of stalking and harassment dating back to January, including the discovery of an Apple AirTag under her vehicle and incidents of the suspect entering her apartment and deflating her tires. After initially declining legal action, she obtained a restraining order in May. On July 29, deputies reported a violation of that order when the suspect left groceries at her doorstep and attempted to contact him twice.
Police located the suspect near the Panera Bread parking lot where he confronted Thakur, chased her and shot her multiple times. He fled and was stopped on Highway 50, where he died during a standoff with officers.
"This illegal alien from India harassed, stalked, and then killed a 38-year-old woman in California, and then took his own life when police caught up to him," a DHS spokesperson said, adding that the tragedy could have been avoided if the suspect had not been released.
"Trying to turn a horrific act of stalking and domestic violence into an indictment of California’s sanctuary policies is not supported by the evidence and distracts from the real issues this case raises — law enforcement preventing stalking and domestic violence, enforcing restraining orders, and keeping victims safe," said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Governor Newsom’s office.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said it does not have access to immigration status information and did not comment on the DHS announcement. Thakur’s mother, speaking to local media, expressed that she felt police had failed to protect her daughter.