HOUSTON – The man accused of shooting and killing a Harris County deputy Friday during a traffic stop ran to an ice cream shop and hung out there for nearly a half-hour before he was arrested, according to the owner of the shop.
Investigators said Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was shot from behind after stopping a vehicle with two people inside on Willancy Court near West Road. Investigators said the shooter then fled the scene in the vehicle that had been stopped. That vehicle was found a short time later in the parking lot of a shopping center about a mile away from the scene at West Road and State Highway 6, Investigators said.
According to Abdul Qadri, the owner of the Marble Slab Creamery in that shopping center, a man in khaki shorts, a T-shirt and sneakers ran into his store. He said he asked the man if he wanted some ice cream, but the man declined and bought a soda instead.
The man said he was waiting on a friend and then later asked for the address of the shop so he could call an Uber to pick him up, Qadri said.
As he was waiting for the ride, the man kept walking in and out of the store, according to Qadri. He said the man even helped him move some chairs.
"Why is he helping me?" Qadri said he thought to himself.
After about a half-hour, authorities showed up in the parking lot. Qadri said that was when he became suspicious of the man and started motioning to law enforcement.
"I was keep pointing my finger to the cop," Qadri said. "'Look at this man!' Finally, the cop comes out of the car."
Qadri said authorities talked to the man before taking him into custody.
"They put him in handcuffs and put in the car," Qadri said. "They took him away."
Authorities have yet to identify the man who was taken into custody.