HOUSTON — Throughout Saturday afternoon and evening, hundreds of people paid their respects to Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal at a memorial set up on the site of the traffic stop where he was shot.
Neighbors, friends and family members were among those there, all calling Deputy Dhaliwal a great law enforcement officer, friend and human being.
During a sunset prayer at the memorial, the deputy’s family was surrounded and supported by members of the Sikh community and Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies, including Sgt. Nassir Abbasi.
“He’s been my not friend or colleague, he’s been my real younger brother,” said Sgt. Abbasi, who met Deputy Dhaliwal in 2011 and worked with him on numerous calls. “I learned from him, how to interact, how to assimilate.”
The two were from different countries and faiths but shared the Punjabi language. Sgt. Abbasi said Deputy Dhaliwal brought the respect of that Eastern culture to his work in the Western world.
“His soul was pure human soul, and that’s why you see all of these people here,” Sgt. Abbasi said.
That includes his friend of 15 years, Puneet Waraich, who is also a member of the Sikh community.
“Always respectful, always nice to everybody, smiling, positive thoughts,” Waraich said. “There was a lot of community yesterday at his house. A lot of people visited. So did we, and they’re devastated, obviously.”
The deputy also touched people he’d meet in restaurants, the grocery store or other places in the community. That includes Brittany Collier and her 7-year-old son, Everett.
“Always happy to see you even if it was just running into him at the gas station,” Collier said.
“Yeah, and he also helped us get into our pool whenever our key didn’t work,” Everett added.
“He always wanted to share stories about his kids,” Collier said. “I think that’s probably the hardest part of all of this is his family.”
The Colliers were among hundreds who left notes, flags, symbols of faith, lit candles and prayed, building a memorial for the man who left his mark on this world.
“He will have the residence of those hearts forever,” Sgt. Abbasi said.
No family at Saturday night’s prayer vigil wanted to speak publicly.
The deputy leaves behind a wife and three children.
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