Houston Deputy's Shooting Death Touches San Ramon

SAN RAMON, CA — Even though he served in a jurisdiction nearly 2,000 miles away, San Ramon police turned out Thursday night at city hall to honor a fallen brother.

A public memorial service was held at San Ramon city headquarters to pay tribute to Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was killed last week in the line of duty. According to a Facebook page announcing the local service, 37 people turned out Thursday — most of them wearing blue to honor Dhaliwal.

"As an agency, we were honored to be invited and proud to join members of the San Ramon Sikh community as they paid tribute to the legacy of Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal," said San Ramon Police Department Captain Denton Carlson. "His dedication to the law enforcement profession and commitment to the betterment of the Harris County community was an inspiration to all of us within the San Ramon Police Department."

Those in San Ramon joined thousands across the country in mourning. Dhaliwal was killed Sept. 27 during a routine traffic stop in the suburbs outside Houston. Robert Solis is accused of shooting Dhaliwal in the back of the head as the deputy walked to his patrol car. Dhaliwal was flown to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds several hours later.

Solis faces a capital murder charge, but he has not been charged with a hate crime.

Dhaliwal was the first Sikh deputy in Texas and he was a trailblazer. He was one of the first law enforcement officers in the country permitted to display articles of his faith, a beard and turban, and the first to do so in Texas.

It drew national attention. Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, who Dhaliwal served under when he was new to the department, told NPR that he was concerned about the deputy's turban and beard.

"In uniform, you're a target," Garcia told NPR. "When you wear a turban, you become even a bigger target."

Garcia said Dhaliwal's response was, " ... we're going to change minds, and we're going to touch hearts."

Funeral services for Dhaliwal took place Wednesday at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas. Thousands of mourners jammed the arena.

Dhaliwal was just 42 years old and had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for 10 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.