Man gets death for killing Texas agency's 1st Sikh deputy
A man has received a death sentence for the fatal 2019 shooting of a law enforcement officer who was the first Sikh deputy in his Texas agency
Man gets death for killing Texas agency's 1st Sikh deputy
Show all 2Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man was sentenced to death Wednesday for the fatal 2019 shooting of a law enforcement officer who was the first Sikh deputy in his Texas agency.
A Harris County jury deliberated for about 35 minutes before returning the death sentence for Robert Solis, 50, after convicting him of capital murder on Oct. 17 in Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal's killing.
According to trial evidence, Solis shot the 42-year-old deputy multiple times during a Sept. 27, 2019, traffic stop in a residential cul-de-sac 18 miles (29 kilometers) northwest of Houston. Dhaliwal was returning to his patrol car when Solis shot him from behind.
“The defendant executed a uniformed deputy by shooting him in in cold blood in broad daylight. That makes him the worst of the worst, which is why we asked jurors to sentence him to death,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement.
Solis represented himself in the trial after firing his three defense attorneys.
Prosecutors had told jurors that Solis had a lengthy criminal record of robberies and sexual predation leading up to Dhaliwal's killing.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Warren, who prosecuted the case, said in a Wednesday statement that Dhaliwal was not just a trailblazer in the law enforcement community but also an exceptional officer.
“Deputy Dhaliwal was a pillar of this community, and when it came to law enforcement, he set the bar,” Warren said. “His loss is a loss that every single one of us feels. We’re glad today that this jury was able to give justice.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.