A Sikh policeman described by senior officers as a “trailblazer”, has been shot and killed during a traffic stop in Texas.
Sandeep Dhaliwal, who had been an officer for ten years, was fatally injured after being shot from behind when he pulled over a vehicle in the Houston area.
“He was a hero, a respected member of the community, and he was a trailblazer,” Houston County sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a press conference. “He wore the turban. He represented his community with integrity, respect and pride And again, he was respected by all.”
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said: “He was a walking lesson in tolerance and understanding, which are values Houstonians uphold here in the nation’s most diverse big city.”
Mr Gonzalez said the officer had been killed on Friday afternoon, after pulling over a vehicle. He said he was returning to his patrol car when was a man stepped out and shot him several times from behind – “basically just shot him in a very ruthless, cold-blooded way”.
He was taken to Memorial Hermann hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officers said they had arrested Robert Solis, 47, who had been charged with the officer’s murder. It is not known whether Mr Solis has a lawyer or has yet had a chance to enter a plea.
Local media said he was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in 2002 for aggravated kidnapping but was released on parole in 2014. His parole would due to have expired in 2022, reports said.
At a court hearing on Saturday, Mr Solis was refused bail. The authorities have yet to speculate as to a motive, and whether the shooting was a hate crime. A woman has also been arrested in connection with the incident, and police said they had recovered a weapon they believe was used.
Friends of the 42-year-old officer said he had been a walking example of how service to others can tear down walls of misunderstanding.
“He was just a gem of a person. He was a beautiful soul,” said Simran Jeet Singh, of the New York-based Sikh Coalition. “Everyone who knew him admired him greatly.”
Mr Dhaliwal was a member of the Sikh National Centre in Houston, according to its chair, Hardam Azad.
Mr Azad said Mr Dhaliwal often would speak with young people at the centre, showing them his sheriff’s badge. A widely-shared video of Mr Dhaliwal posted on the Facebook page of the Harris County sheriff’s office showed him laughing as he allowed a boy to handcuff him and then unlock the handcuffs with the key.
“Ever since 9/11 happened, a lot of hate crimes have occurred against the Sikhs,” Mr Azad said. “The way to counter that was exactly the kind of service Sandeep Dhaliwal provided to the larger community.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press
