A Sacramento woman was fatally shot by a longtime stalker. DHS says he was in the country illegally

From Dignity Memorial

A California woman was fatally shot in Sacramento last week by a man authorities said had been stalking her for months and the Department of Homeland Security said had been living in the country illegally.

Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office responded to a scene near a restaurant just before 3 p.m. on September 8, after several witnesses reported a shooting, the agency said in a news release.

Authorities have not publicly identified the 38-year-old victim, but CNN affiliate KCRA spoke with her mother and reported her to be Sacramento resident Shalini Thakur.

Police identified the suspect as Rohit Rohit, 22, an Indian man who entered the United States through Arizona in 2023, the DHS told CNN Monday.

Thakur’s grieving mother, now saying goodbye to her only child at her funeral Monday , is left wondering if more could have been done to protect her daughter, she told KCRA .

The pair knew each other through work. Thakur said she met Rohit when he picked up DoorDash orders from the business where she worked, according to court documents obtained by KCRA .

Rohit signed up to work for the delivery company using a Social Security number and completed a background check through an accredited provider, a DoorDash spokesperson told CNN Monday. Rohit had not worked in more than six weeks, according to the spokesperson, was not active on the app the day of the shooting, and the company never received any prior reports about him.

“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.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Office

Authorities said they are still investigating the immediate events that led up to the fatal shooting but have learned Rohit was waiting for Thakur at a local shopping center, where she was dropped off at her own vehicle a short time after. It’s unclear who dropped her off or where she was coming from.

Rohit approached Thakur “and began to accost her,” the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in the news release, adding, “As the victim attempted to run away, Rohit chased her down, pulled out a firearm, and shot her multiple times.” Thakur fell to the ground and Rohit fired additional shots, the sheriff’s office said.

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper released a brief, blurry video on Facebook , which he said showed Rohit shooting Thakur.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Police officer arrested after tracking ex-girlfriend on Flock camera system over 2,000 times, authorities say

Witnesses told authorities the suspect fled the area but gave a description of his car to guide deputies as they worked to locate him.

Investigators used Flock, an automated license-plate reader system at the center of a national debate over privacy , to track down the suspect’s vehicle and within minutes, the deputies located the car. As they tried to pull it over, the driver slammed on the brakes, and after attempting to call the driver out of the car, deputies discovered Rohit died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“This tragedy would have been completely avoided if it weren’t for the Biden Administration RELEASING this killer into our country,” a DHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement Monday. “Sanctuary politicians must put an end to reckless policies that play Russian roulette with American lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back on DHS’ response to the incident, which the department said stemmed from California’s sanctuary state law, the California Values Act , which prohibits local law enforcement from using its resources for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions.

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“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,” Newsom’s spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told CNN.

While the incident has drawn attention to the suspect’s immigration status, a National Institute of Justice summary of a Texas-based study found undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than half the rate of native-born US citizens for violent and drug-related crimes. Immigrants are also incarcerated at lower rates, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Rohit’s alleged stalking and harassment started in at least January when Thakur found an Apple AirTag under the hood of her car, according to investigators, and grew over the months as efforts intensified in nature and severity.

The suspect’s actions “had grown increasingly alarming” during one incident when he deflated the air in Thakur’s car tires and followed her to her workplace so he could help her, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Separately, in another incident, Rohit obtained a copy of Thakur’s apartment key, entered while she was sleeping and then claimed he was there because he was worried something happened to her when she didn’t answer him, the sheriff’s office said.

“Despite the bizarre behavior, the victim initially declined to pursue charges or obtain a restraining order,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies and Detectives remained concerned for her safety and remained in contact with the victim for the next few months.”

In May, Thakur obtained a restraining order against Rohit after deputies urged her to do so again, authorities said. In late July, authorities said he violated the order when he dropped groceries off at her door.

How the situation escalated from deliveries to a shooting in a parking lot remains a mystery. The sheriff’s office said its investigation is ongoing, as the case draws national attention and political barbs.

Thakur’s loved ones are honoring her life online with written memories from former co-workers and newfound friends on an obituary page for her.

On a GoFundMe page raising money to support Thakur’s family, an organizer described her as “a caring, loving, selfless, and generous young woman who gave so much of herself to others” and someone whose kindness and willingness to help others has left a lasting impact on everyone who knew her.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text “START” to 88788, which connects callers with local resources and immediate support. Help is also available through an online chat tool .

来自尊严纪念馆

上周，一名加州女子在萨克拉门托被一名男子枪杀。当局称该男子已跟踪她数月，而国土安全部表示该男子非法居住在美国。

萨克拉门托县警长办公室在一份新闻稿中表示，9 月 8 日下午 3 点前不久，几名目击者报告称一家餐馆附近发生枪击事件，随后该办公室的警员赶到现场。

当局尚未公开确认这名 38 岁受害者的身份，但 CNN 附属电视台 KCRA 与她的母亲进行了交谈，并报道称她是萨克拉门托居民 Shalini Thakur。

警方确认嫌疑人为 22 岁的印度男子罗希特·罗希特 (Rohit Rohit)，国土安全部周一告诉 CNN，他于 2023 年经亚利桑那州进入美国。

塔库尔悲痛欲绝的母亲周一在葬礼上与她唯一的孩子告别，她告诉 KCRA，她不禁想知道是否还有更多措施可以保护她的女儿。

两人因工作相识。据KCRA获得的法庭文件显示，塔库尔称，她是在罗希特到她工作的店里取外卖订单时认识他的。

DoorDash发言人周一告诉CNN，罗希特使用社保号码注册成为这家外卖公司的员工，并通过一家认证机构完成了背景调查。该发言人表示，罗希特已经超过六周没有工作，枪击案发生当天他也没有登录DoorDash应用程序，而且公司此前从未收到过任何关于他的举报。

DoorDash 的一位发言人表示：“这是一场难以想象的悲剧，我们与 Thakur 女士的家人和亲友同悲，为他们失去亲人而感到难过。”

萨克拉门托县警长办公室

当局表示，他们仍在调查导致这起致命枪击事件发生的直接原因，但已了解到罗希特当时在当地一家购物中心等候塔库尔，不久后她被送回了自己的车旁。目前尚不清楚是谁送她来的，也不清楚她从哪里来。

萨克拉门托县警长办公室在新闻稿中称，罗希特接近塔库尔并开始骚扰她，并补充道，“受害者试图逃跑时，罗希特追上去，拔出枪，向她连开数枪。” 警长办公室表示，塔库尔倒地后，罗希特又开了数枪。

萨克拉门托县警长吉姆·库珀在 Facebook 上发布了一段简短而模糊的视频，他说视频显示罗希特枪杀了塔库尔。

贾斯汀·沙利文/盖蒂图片社

据当局称，一名警官因使用Flock摄像头系统跟踪前女友超过2000次而被捕。

目击者告诉警方，嫌疑人逃离了该地区，但提供了嫌疑车辆的描述，以指导警员找到他。

调查人员利用Flock——一种引发全国隐私争议的自动车牌识别系统——追踪嫌疑车辆，几分钟内，警员就找到了这辆车。当他们试图将其拦停时，司机猛踩刹车。警员试图让司机下车，但最终发现罗希特死于明显的自杀性枪伤。

“如果不是拜登政府将这名杀人犯释放到我国，这场悲剧本可以完全避免，”国土安全部发言人周一在一份声明中告诉CNN。“庇护主义政客必须停止这种拿美国人的生命玩俄罗斯轮盘赌的鲁莽政策。我们向受害者及其家人致以最深切的慰问和祈祷。”

加州州长加文·纽森反驳了国土安全部对该事件的回应。国土安全部表示，该事件源于加州的庇护州法律——《加州价值观法案》，该法案禁止地方执法部门使用其资源进行移民执法，只有少数例外情况。

众议院就“庇护城市”举行听证会，现场爆发激烈争吵

“试图将一起骇人听闻的跟踪和家庭暴力事件变成对加州庇护政策的控诉，既没有证据支持，也转移了人们对本案真正问题的关注——执法部门如何防止跟踪和家庭暴力、如何执行限制令以及如何保障受害者的安全，”纽森的发言人戴安娜·克罗夫茨-佩拉约告诉 CNN。

虽然这起事件引发了人们对嫌疑人移民身份的关注，但美国司法部国家司法研究所对一项德克萨斯州研究的总结显示，无证移民因暴力犯罪和毒品犯罪被捕的比例不到美国本土公民的一半。根据美国国家经济研究局的数据，移民的监禁率也较低。

据调查人员称，罗希特的跟踪和骚扰行为至少从一月份就开始了，当时塔库尔在她的汽车引擎盖下发现了一个苹果 AirTag，并且在接下来的几个月里，随着骚扰行为的性质和严重程度的加剧，这种行为也愈演愈烈。

萨克拉门托县警长办公室表示，嫌疑人的行为“越来越令人担忧”，其中一次，他放掉了塔库尔汽车轮胎里的气，并一路跟踪她到她的工作场所，以便帮助她。

另据警长办公室称，在另一起事件中，罗希特弄到了塔库尔公寓的钥匙，趁她睡觉时进入了她的公寓，然后声称他来这里是因为塔库尔没有回应他，他担心她出了什么事。

“尽管对方行为怪异，但受害者最初拒绝提出指控或申请限制令，”警长办公室表示。“警员和侦探们仍然担心她的安全，并在接下来的几个月里与受害者保持联系。”

据当局称，今年5月，在警员敦促下，塔库尔再次申请了针对罗希特的限制令。7月下旬，当局表示，罗希特违反了该限制令，将食品杂货送到塔库尔家门口。

从送货到停车场枪击案，事态如何升级至今仍是个谜。警长办公室表示，调查仍在进行中，此案已引起全国关注和政治抨击。

塔库尔的亲友们正在网上缅怀她的一生，在她的讣告页面上，人们写下了前同事和新朋友的回忆。

在为支持塔库尔的家人而筹款的 GoFundMe 页面上，一位组织者将她描述为“一位充满爱心、无私奉献的年轻女性，她为他人付出了很多”，她的善良和乐于助人的精神给所有认识她的人都留下了深刻的印象。

全国家庭暴力热线：拨打 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)，或发送短信“START”至 88788，即可联系到当地资源并获得即时支持。您也可以通过在线聊天工具获得帮助。