By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN<\/p>\n
(CNN) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Thakur\u2019s grieving mother, now saying goodbye to her only child at her funeral Monday<\/a>, is left wondering if more could have been done to protect her daughter, she told KCRA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Suspect met victim picking up DoorDash orders<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are with Ms. Thakur\u2019s family and loved ones as they grieve this immense loss,\u201d a DoorDash spokesperson said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s unclear who dropped her off or where she was coming from.<\/p>\n Rohit approached Thakur \u201cand began to accost her,\u201d the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office said in the news release, adding, \u201cAs the victim attempted to run away, Rohit chased her down, pulled out a firearm, and shot her multiple times.\u201d Thakur fell to the ground and Rohit fired additional shots, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper released a brief, blurry video on Facebook<\/a>, which he said showed Rohit shooting Thakur.<\/p>\n Witnesses told authorities the suspect fled the area but gave a description of his car to guide deputies as they worked to locate him.<\/p>\n Investigators used Flock, an automated license-plate reader system at the center of a national debate over privacy<\/a>, to track down the suspect\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Homeland Security highlights suspect\u2019s immigration status<\/p>\n \u201cThis tragedy would have been completely avoided if it weren\u2019t for the Biden Administration RELEASING this killer into our country,\u201d a DHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement Monday. \u201cSanctuary 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.\u201d<\/p>\n California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back on DHS\u2019 response to the incident, which the department said stemmed from California\u2019s sanctuary state law, the California Values Act<\/a>, which prohibits local law enforcement from using its resources for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions.<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to turn a horrific act of stalking and domestic violence into an indictment of California\u2019s sanctuary policies is not supported by the evidence and distracts from the real issues this case raises \u2014 law enforcement preventing stalking and domestic violence, enforcing restraining orders, and keeping victims safe,\u201d Newsom\u2019s spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told CNN.<\/p>\n