Sandeep Dhaliwal beamed with pride 4 years ago, when he was told he could wear his Sikh turban and a beard while on duty.
Tragically, the 42-year-old died on Friday, September 27 after being shot multiple times while conducting a traffic stop, reports NDTV.
47-year-old suspect, Robert Solis, has been taken into custody and charged with the capital murder.
Sandeep, a 10-year veteran of the Texas police department, was attacked when he stopped a vehicle with a man and a woman inside for a routine traffic check.
The attack has been termed cold-blooded, ruthless and has drawn reactions from the Indian government. The gunman and the woman were taken into custody.
Talking about the attack that took place on his deputy, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said:
The department is heartbroken to lose a hero, a leader in this violent tragic manner. There are just no words to convey our pain, our heartbreak, our anger as well… we are human beings. But we are going to channel that to continue to serve the way Deputy Dhaliwal did… with integrity.
When the news spread about Dhaliwal’s death, people were legitimately saddened to lose someone who always inspired people and laughed and joked with everyone without any bias.
The deputy sheriff of New Harris County, Sandeep was the first Sikh to offically wear a turban on duty and is survived by his wife and three children.
Despite a rise in hate and racist crimes in Texas and the whole of America, nothing substantial has been done so far to address the phobia in people for individuals from other race or religions.
A man of great deed and dedication, it will be impossible to find another Sandeep Dhaliwal in Texas, someone who enjoyed solving other people’s problems and was ever present to help locals as well as people visiting his concerned county.