Officer Sandeep Dhaliwal, 42, was an “American hero” who served “with dignity, honor and utmost respect,” according to a local leader.
Dhaliwal, the first member of the Sikh community to become a Harris County sheriff’s deputy, was killed in the line of duty after being shot in the back of the head near Houston on September 27.
Honoring Texas Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal
To honor his legacy, colleagues, family, friends, and locals gathered at a candlelight vigil in Houston, Texas on Monday.
Bobby Singh, a leader in Houston’s Sikh community called Dhaliwal “an American who treated everyone justly” with “a heart of gold and a magnetic smile that touched all of us,” according to ABC News.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez’s twitter, a steady flow of people from throughout the community had come to the “makeshift memorial” to show their support for Dhaliwal. Gonzalez wrote, “Deputy Dhaliwal loved serving this community, and they loved him back.”
The vigil was one of the most challenging moments for Dhaliwal’s colleague Adrian Garcia, according to ABC news. Garcia is the Harris County commissioner and former sheriff who considered Dhaliwal, a brother.
“Someone asked me how I would best described Sandeep,” Garcia said at the vigil. “And I would say look at this magnificent crowd of diversity. Especially in the midst of division that we sometimes find ourselves in, look at this unity. There are few who could do this, in life much less in death.”
“We are all the better because of Sandeep Dhaliwal,” he said.
The sheriff reminisced for a moment about the deputy’s commitment to community; when a woman was having trouble lowering her garage door, and Dhaliwal saw her struggling, he offered to stay and keep an eye on her home so she could head to work.
Dhaliwal also loved children and would pin them as honorary deputies with their own badges, the sheriff said.
After the vigil, Gonzalez said he went to a store in the area where Dhaliwal served. “The clerk greeted me; asked how I was doing? I replied I was sad for the loss of my friend,” he tweeted. “Not surprising, he too knew Sandeep and mourned also. Said Sandeep would stop by and watch over them.”
The deputy is notably remembered for his service to others. Dhaliwal rescued residents when Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in 2017 and helped with relief efforts after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico one month later, Texas Congressman Al Green told ABC news.
“I lost my hero,” the deputy’s father, Pyara Dhaliwal, told KTRK. “I am missing him, and I will never get him back. But he is here with me.”
Suspect Robert Solis, 47, was charged with capital murder. Solis had an active parole violation warrant dating back to January 2017, according to the sheriff.
To show support for Dhaliwal’s family, Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa donated $10,000.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the deputy’s family with “educational endeavors” and “unforeseen expenses” for his children.
His funeral has been set for October 2 at the Berry Center in Houston, open to the public.
