REMEMBERING SANDEEP DHALIWA

Houstonians invited to pay tribute to Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal at public services

Houstonians invited to pay tribute to Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal at public services
Photo courtesy of ABC13

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Funeral services have been announced for Sandeep Dhaliwal, the Harris County Sheriff's deputy who was killed during a routine traffic stop Friday, September 27 in northwest Houston.

The public is invited to a law enforcement ceremony and a Sikh religious ceremony on Wednesday, October 2, at the Berry Center (8877 Barker Cypress Rd.) in Cypress, Texas. The Sikh religious ceremony starts at 10:30 am; the law enforcement services follow at 11 am. The public is invited to both, space permitting, according to the HCSO.

A beloved community figure who was the first Sikh in HCSO history, Dhaliwal was gunned down on Friday during a traffic stop and died later of his wounds. The suspect has been identified as Robert Solis, who has been charged with capital murder in connection with Dhaliwal's death, according to the HCSO.

The 41-year-old Dhaliwal was a father of three children. He was a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's office and made history when he was allowed to wear his turban and beard, both symbols of the Sikh faith, on duty by then-sheriff Adrian Garcia. He quickly became a local and national sensation, popular for his connection with his local community, his fundraising efforts during Hurricane Harvey, and the awareness he raised about the Sikh faith.

He was also a champion of fellow law enforcement officers. When his colleague, Deputy Darren Goforth, was killed in northwest Harris County, Dhaliwal asked Houstonians to "just wear blue" in tribute. "Wear blue and be proud of that," he told CultureMap content partner, ABC13. "And that shows support to law enforcement. Simple as that."

In the days since his death, Houstonians have created myriad tributes to the fallen officer. A local Chick-fil-A adorned a memorial table for Dhaliwal; local restaurants set up impromptu bake sales or have donated profits to his family.

Conitnue on CultureMap for information about a GoFundMe page set up for Dhaliwal's family.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Can the Astros still compete with the Yankees and Dodgers? Composite Getty Image.

The World Series begins this Friday, featuring a matchup between two teams the Astros are very familiar with, the Dodgers and the Yankees.

After watching how the NLCS and ALCS played out, one thing has become very clear. Both of these teams are capable of scoring a lot of runs. Something the Astros struggled with in the regular season and in their two playoff games against the Tigers.

Houston only scored one run through the first 15 innings of their series with Detroit. And despite having a team OPS in the Top 10 for most of the season, they were only middle of the pack when it came to runs scored.

There's no way around it, if the Astros want to compete for a championship, they're going to have to improve their offense. To be fair, they're fully capable of winning the AL West as currently constructed, but it's hard to imagine this team going toe to toe with the top offenses in baseball and having success. Especially if Alex Bregman signs elsewhere this offseason.

Considering where the team is from a salary perspective, we doubt owner Jim Crane is looking to spend a ton of money this offseason. So if the club wants to improve the offense, they'll likely have to get creative. That could involve making some trades, or just getting more out of the players they already have. A change in their hitting approach could be the answer. Like taking more pitches and working more walks.

But who knows, maybe Crane will be more aggressive after watching his team take a step back over the past two seasons. When the Yankees missed the playoffs last year, they traded for Juan Soto, and that move is already paying huge dividends.

Yankees GM takes a shot at the Astros

Brian Cashman went out of his way to blame the Yankees' World Series drought on the Astros this week. And we all know Houston's history with both the Dodgers and Yankees.

If Astros fans were forced to choose, which team would they rather see win it all this year?

Don't miss the video above for the full discussion!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon. Find all via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.


SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome