Mother of Panera shooting victim recounts heartbreaking final conversation
Sudesh Kumari says her only daughter promised to call again in 15 minutes, shortly before authorities say she was chased down and fatally shot
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The mother of Shalini Thakur, the Sacramento woman who was fatally shot outside a Panera Bread, is sharing the final conversation she had with her only child and questioning whether more could have been done to protect her.
“I am alone in this world,” Kumari told KCRA 3.
Kumari said her husband died two years ago and Thakur was her only child.
The two spoke by phone at 1:58 p.m., nearly an hour before the shooting. Kumari said her daughter told her she would call back within 15 minutes.
That call never came.
“Then she will never come,” Kumari said through tears. “I call her every time, every minute, every hour. I don’t know.”
Kumari showed KCRA 3 her phone, including a series of unanswered calls and WhatsApp messages she sent as her concern grew. The messages included “Please call me” and “I am worried about you.”
“No answer. No answer,” Kumari said.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said 22-year-old Rohit Rohit was waiting for Thakur outside the Panera Bread near Howe and Northrup avenues. Investigators said he confronted Thakur and chased her as she attempted to run before shooting her multiple times.
Witnesses provided investigators with information about Rohit’s vehicle. Deputies located him within minutes on eastbound Highway 50 near Watt Avenue with assistance from the FLOCK camera system.
Rohit was later found dead inside the vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Court records obtained by KCRA 3 show Thakur had accused Rohit of nearly a year of escalating stalking. In a May request for a civil harassment restraining order, she alleged that he followed her, tampered with her vehicle and installed a tracking device without her knowledge.
Thakur also wrote that Rohit had threatened to shoot himself or anyone she met. A proof of service filed with the court shows Rohit was personally served with temporary restraining order documents May 19.
“My daughter call every time,” Kumari said. “Police, restraining order after restraining order. He came here.”
Kumari believes the system failed to protect her daughter.
“Police not protect my daughter,” she said. “Not protect.”
The Sheriff’s Office previously said detectives remained in contact with Thakur for months and encouraged her to seek a restraining order. Investigators said the harassment continued after the order was issued, including an alleged July violation in which Rohit left items outside her home.
Beyond the circumstances of her death, Kumari wants people to remember her daughter for the joy and kindness she showed others.
She shared a video of Thakur performing a Hindu dance and described her as someone who was almost always smiling.”
“She loved them all,” she added. “She loved everyone.”
Thakur’s funeral service is scheduled for Monday. A GoFundMe has been started by family & friends.
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