Shalini Thakur, a 38-year-old IHOP worker in Sacramento, was shot dead outside a Panera Bread restaurant on 8 September by Rohit Rohit, a 22-year-old DoorDash driver who then killed himself. Police allege Rohit had stalked and harassed Thakur for months after their relationship ended, highlighting how escalating fixation and alleged failures to protect her preceded the killing.

According to police records and accounts from Rohit's roommate, he wanted to reconcile after Thakur reportedly ended the relationship because he was too young and immature. Alleged behaviour included placing an Apple AirTag on her car, deflating her tyres, following her to work and entering her apartment while she slept; she sought a civil harassment restraining order in May. US officials said Rohit, an Indian national, had been arrested by Border Patrol in Arizona in August 2023 but released into the country, while Thakur's family and friends described her as generous and hardworking.