Texas deputy who wore Sikh turban and beard on the job killed during traffic stop

[OnlinePoker]

Source: NBC News

A Texas deputy who drew national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job to observe his Sikh faith was fatally shot Friday in an "ambush-style" attack.

There was no evidence the shooting of Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal during a 1 p.m. traffic stop, in an area where the city of Houston meets unincorporated Harris County, was a hate crime.

"He was on a traffic stop," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference. "The preliminary information that we have at this time is that a male suspect exited the vehicle armed with a pistol and, in a cold-blooded murder, ambush-style shot Deputy Dhaliwal from behind."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-deputy-who-wore-sikh-turban-beard-job-killed-during-n1059866

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Not a hate crime (so they say) but looks like someone gunning for a cop and this poor man ended up as the victim.

[Ilsa]

1. That will get him the needle in Texas. Amen. nt

[dalton99a]

4. 100% guaranteed for cop killers in Texas.

[LisaL]

22. And especially with the suspect's criminal history.

I presume he will get that death penalty.

[gordianot]

2. Not a hate crime maybe only because the root cause was profound ignorance.

Committed by someone who probably never heard of a Sikh.

[DallasNE]

9. My Guess Is That The Shooter

Misidentified the cop as a Muslim and shot him.

[rpannier]

11. From KHOU

Multiple law enforcement sources tell KHOU the suspect accused in the shooting death of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal is an ex-con who's been wanted since 2017.

The deputy was walking back to the car to run a check on the man's driver's license

[LisaL]

20. The guy was out on parole, and had a warrant on him for parole violation.

Police officer was going to run his driver's license and would have found that out. I don't think this had anything to do with the police officer being a Sikh. I presume, considering his criminal history, the accused killer wasn't supposed to have had a gun either. So had he been arrested, that was something else that presumably would have ended him back in prison, and presumably that's what he was trying to prevent.

[gordianot]

29. Good summary, lesson learned never assume.

[IronLionZion]

3. The turban would be hard to miss, so probably not just looking to kill any cop

People see a turban and sometimes draw incorrect conclusions. Brown skin is often hazardous to one's health these days. I wouldn't rule out hate crime so quickly as it could be both racism and hate for cops. Minority cops have been murdered multiple times over the last few years.

[Devil Child]

6. Looks like a more sensible conclusion is the shooter is yet another violent con released too early

Ex-con with active warrant

https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/suspect-in-deputy-shooting-has-violent-criminal-history/285-0430c66d-ded5-4520-a64f-65bd17fe9232

[LisaL]

21. And with a gun I presume he wasn't supposed to have.

If arrested, gun would have been found and he would have presumably landed back in prison.

[oneshooter]

32. Only if the Harris County DA approved the gun charges. n//t

[LisaL]

33. Not sure what you mean by that.

He was on parole, he had a warrant for a parole violation. So once the police officer run his license, that would have been discovered. That alone would have resulted in him being arrested. Once they searched him, they would have found the gun he wasn't supposed to have. Why exactly would DA need to approve the gun charges?

[oneshooter]

35. The Harris County DA HAS to approve ALL gun related charges.

Threw out a gun charge last month. Officer lit up a car for no tail lights. They ran and a gun was seen being thrown out the window. Gun was recovered and one of the occupants was a felon. DA threw out the possession charge, all she would allow was a littering charge.

[Igel]

27. One could revise the post.

People see something bad happening to a person of color or a religious minority and sometimes draw incorrect conclusions.


Saying, "I'm going to wait for more facts" is seldom a bad course of action, unless the fact set is already pretty complete and it's not looking like it's going to get any bigger.

[IronLionZion]

28. We can wait for more facts without ruling it out yet

The perp is still alive and can provide some answers as to why he did it.

[LeftInTX]

30. Those are the news headlines

I don't believe he was killed because he was a Sikh.

However, we don't utilize qualified Sikhs enough in positions because of their turbans and beard. Hence he was one of the first in the US in a major county.

[dalton99a]

5. 47-year-old ex-con arrested

Robert Solis has been charged with capital murder in the death of Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal. Harris County Sheriffs Office

[C Moon]

15. Jesus. If I saw that crazy-eyed face, and I was a cop, I'd not turned my back on him. Fncklng trash.

[MagickMuffin]

7. My girlfriend saw this after it happened

She's been looking for a house in the area and was on her way to an appointment to look at a house. She got out and saw the victim on the street and within a few minutes there were swarms of law enforcers.

Guns are the vane of our existence, it appears.

[LeftInTX]

12. OMG! How awful

[LeftInTX]

16. I saw video of where this happened

It appears to be a very quiet area.

The neighbors stated there was a stop sign that was frequently missed and they were glad for the regular patrol.

[Princess Turandot]

8. A somewhat clearer description of what happened..

I assume that Dhaliwal was returning to his car for a check on the driver's identity.

https://www.apnews.com/5efc599f75964ae4b8ab8f54349e9910

Dhaliwal’s dashboard camera captured video showing Dhaliwal speaking with the driver in what appeared to be a conversational tone with “no combat, no arguing,” Sheriff’s Maj. Mike Lee said. The driver’s door was opened at one point, and Dhaliwal shut it as the driver remained in the vehicle. When Dhaliwal turned to walk back to his patrol car, the driver steps from the car “almost immediately running with a gun already out,” Lee said. The driver shot the deputy from behind, hitting him in the back of the head. The driver got back in his car and drove away.

A deputy a short time later found and arrested a nervous man matching the description of the driver in a business at a nearby strip shopping center, Lee said.

[safeinOhio]

10. Sat Shri Akawl

My friend.

[LeftInTX]

13. It is weird that we discriminate against Sikhs in the military and law enforcement

(Although some do cut their hair and hence no turban)

In India they are the warrior class and are very active in the military and law enforcement.

[JI7]

14. they aren't discriminsted against. the rules apply to all people

but i agree that more would serve if they were allowed to keep their hair and turban.

[Codeine]

17. The Army allows Sikhs to maintain

their beard and wear a dastar as of 2017.

[IronLionZion]

18. Meanwhile in Canada, their Defense Minister is Harjit Sajjan

[marble falls]

19. Though the shooters been wanted since 2017, what are the odds the only ...

deputy in Texas with a beard and turban gets shot for non racial reasons? No doubt, any other deputy would have been shot, too.

[MicaelS]

23. Sikhs are very good people.

They feed the homeless for one thing.

[iluvtennis]

24. Hateful bastard.

[Jedi Guy]

25. And this is why cops are most nervous during traffic stops.

Having worked with them and talked to them, I was astounded to learn that it wasn't during pursuits or house searches that they were most nervous. To a person, every single one of them said "traffic stops." And it makes a certain amount of sense. They don't know if they pulled over a "normal" (for want of a better term) person or a twitchy meth dealer with a pound of crystal in his trunk and a gun in his waistband. It's entirely luck of the draw.

The other factor is the prevalence of guns. The department I worked for crunched the numbers and found that a full 70% of the cars they pulled over and wound up searching had a gun in them. So they know the odds are pretty good that there's a gun in that car, and until they make contact and get a feel for the person, they're going to be on guard.

I had a call where two officers pulled a guy over for speeding. Not even enough to equal a guaranteed ticket, just enough to get pulled over. As they got out of their squad car, the guy opened his door, stepped out, and started shooting at them. They ended up killing him when they returned fire, and both of them were fucked up over it for quite a while.

Best thing you can do for yourself if you get pulled over is to keep this in mind and act accordingly. If it's dark, turn on your dome light. If you can, get your license and paperwork out before the cop approaches your car. If you can't, when they ask for it, tell them where it is before you reach for it, and do so slowly. Tell them that you're going to open the glove compartment, then take your hand away so they can look into it and see what's in there before you reach in. Keep your hands on the wheel the rest of the time. After being pulled over, I've had cops thank for me doing those things, because it sets their mind at ease.

Yes, in a perfect world, none of this bullshit should be necessary. Alas, we don't live in a perfect world. Statistically being a cop isn't in the top ten most dangerous professions, but every time an officer is killed like Officer Dhaliwal was, it reinforces to them that they need to be cautious, statistics be damned. As they say, "It's better to be judged by twelve than carried by six."

[50 Shades Of Blue]

26. :(

[turbinetree]

31. So in the open carry state of Texas,

Texas, like Arizona, Oklahoma, and other states, doesn't require background checks for private sales, like purchases among individuals or some guns sold at gun shows.

So what is Abbott and the gang going to say now.....................this "guy" could have gotten the gun from some private sale...................... ..........


and now a family will be in sorrow...............

[Progressive Jones]

34. I've seen at least one Sikh cop wearing his turban on the job here in Chicago. nt