Overview
- Deputies say a 22-year-old man chased and shot 38-year-old Shalini Thakur outside a Panera and then died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot after officers used a bystander’s license-plate tip and Flock’s camera network to find his car.
- Court records and a restraining order obtained by reporters show roughly a year of escalating harassment that included an Apple AirTag hidden on Thakur’s car, deflated tires, a copied apartment key, and unwanted visits.
- Investigators told reporters they had probable cause to arrest the suspect for a July restraining-order violation and made multiple in-person attempts to find him but were unable to make contact before the Sept. 8 killing.
- The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect entered the United States through Arizona in 2023 and was arrested then released; claims that he passed background checks for DoorDash are reported but not verified in official releases.
- Homicide detectives, internal reviews of the prior response, and federal records requests are ongoing, and Thakur’s family says the system failed her, raising urgent questions about how police enforce civil harassment orders and how tracking technology is used in investigations.