Sacramento stalking case ends in fatal shooting as mother laments protective failures

A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman, Shalini Thakur, was fatally shot outside a Sacramento Panera Bread after months of stalking by a 22-year-old man who later died by suicide during a highway standoff. Thakur’s mother says authorities failed to protect her daughter; the investigation notes prior stalking, a restraining order breach, and a pursuit along Highway 50, while DHS says the suspect entered the U.S. in 2023 and immigration status is unresolved.