The 38-year-old victim had obtained a restraining order months before authorities say Rohit Rohit fatally shot her outside a Sacramento-area restaurant.
SACRAMENTO, CA — A 22-year-old man who died after stopping on Highway 50 had stalked and harassed a 38-year-old woman for months before fatally shooting her outside a Panera Bread in Sacramento County, sheriff’s officials said Wednesday.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Rohit Rohit and said investigators had documented a pattern of increasingly troubling behavior toward the woman dating to at least January. The woman, whose name had not been released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office, eventually obtained a restraining order in May. Authorities said Rohit was suspected of violating that order in July, weeks before the Sept. 8 shooting in the Arden-Arcade area.
Investigators said the woman first became aware of possible stalking in January when she discovered an Apple AirTag hidden under the hood of her vehicle. Sheriff’s officials said Rohit’s conduct later escalated. In one incident, investigators said, he let air out of one of her vehicle’s tires and followed her to work so he could offer assistance. Authorities also said Rohit obtained a copy of her apartment key and entered her home while she was sleeping. How he obtained the key remained under investigation.
The woman initially declined to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Detectives remained in contact with her over the following months and again encouraged her in May to obtain a protective order, which she did. On July 29, deputies received a report that Rohit had left grocery items outside her home, an act authorities said violated the restraining order. Sheriff’s officials have not announced whether that report resulted in additional court action before the shooting.
Authorities said Rohit and the woman had known each other for about two years and had been friends, although they worked for different employers. Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Amar Gandhi said investigators believed Rohit had developed a fixation on her. Authorities have not released additional details about the nature of their relationship, and investigators were still examining the events that immediately preceded the killing.
Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Rohit parked at the shopping center near Howe and Northrup avenues before the woman arrived, investigators said. The Sheriff’s Office said he confronted her and chased her when she tried to get away. Rohit then fired multiple shots, killing her in front of witnesses, authorities said. Sheriff’s officials characterized the final shots as an execution. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses quickly provided deputies with information about Rohit’s vehicle, including an image of its license plate, authorities said. Investigators entered the vehicle information into the Sheriff’s Office’s Flock automated license plate reader system. Sheriff Jim Cooper said the system produced the vehicle’s recent location within minutes, allowing deputies assigned to Sacramento Regional Transit to locate it near Highway 50.
When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, Rohit abruptly stopped on eastbound Highway 50 near Watt Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies spent time directing him to leave the vehicle before determining that he was dead inside from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The law enforcement response closed portions of the freeway for hours during the afternoon commute before the roadway reopened Tuesday evening.
Gandhi said Rohit had no known criminal history before the events described by investigators. Authorities were still investigating how he obtained the firearm and were reviewing evidence and speaking with people who knew Rohit and the victim. The shooting and the circumstances leading to it remain under investigation, and the Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone with information about the case to contact investigators.
The victim’s identity had not been publicly released as of Wednesday’s updates. Detectives said their investigation would continue despite Rohit’s death as they work to establish a fuller timeline of the stalking, the alleged restraining-order violation and the events immediately before the shooting.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.