‘INCREDIBLE LOSS’

Gunman Convicted of Murdering Texas County’s First Observant Sikh Deputy

Sandeep Dhaliwal was a beloved local celebrity in the Houston area before he made headlines for helping to change the policy for cops who wear articles of faith.

Robert Solis was convicted Monday of murdering Harris County’s first observant Sikh sheriff’s deputy, Sandeep Dhaliwal, in 2019. Dhaliwal encountered Solis during a routine traffic stop but realized after pulling Solis over that he was wanted for violating parole. While returning to his police car, Solis shot the deputy in the back of his head. Jurors in Texas reportedly needed less than an hour to convict Solis, according to CNN, and he could face the death penalty for capital murder. Dhaliwal was a beloved local celebrity in the Houston area before he made national headlines for helping to change policies to allow police officers to wear articles of faith, including turbans. “He laughed and joked with all of us, and left a bright impression on my son who is deaf,” a Harris County resident shared with the local sheriff’s department, which added in a statement that “Deputy Dhaliwal is an incredible loss not only to our HCSO family but to the entire community.”