Community invited to honor life of fallen deputy at Monday night candlelight vigil

HOUSTON – The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is inviting the community to join them as they honor the life of a deputy shot and killed Friday afternoon.

Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, a 10-year veteran, was shot during a routine traffic stop on Willancy Court near West Road.

Since then, hundreds of loved ones and community members have visited the memorial erected at the place where it happened to pay their respects and say a prayer.

Hayden Wallace, a childhood friend or Dhaliwal, said the deputy was one-of-a-kind. Wallace said Dhaliwal wanted to make a difference when he became a police officer.

"If you could take a cop and cut him out of cardboard, you wanted him to be Sandeep Dhaliwal,” Wallace said. “He didn't care who you were. He didn't care what your past was. He didn't care where you came from. He was going to treat you the same as he would treat anybody else.”

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office shared a tweet inviting everyone to a candlelight vigil at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Darren Goforth Park located at 9118 Wheat Cross Drive.

The United Sikhs in Richardson, Texas near Dallas will also have a vigil for the fallen hero.

 

 


About the Authors:

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.

Reporter, family-oriented, sports fanatic, proud Houstonian.