Harris County Sheriff's Office identifies suspect in deadly ambush of department's first Sikh deputy

Sandeep Dhaliwal slain during traffic stop near Houston

Courtesy: Click2Houston.com

HOUSTONUPDATE: The Harris County Sheriff's Office identified Robert Solis, 47, as the suspect in a deadly ambush in which Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was killed Friday. 

Solis is charged with capital murder, according to HCSO. 

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A sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Friday while making a traffic stop near Houston.
  
The incident happened about 12:45 p.m. in a residential cul-de-sac 18 miles northwest of Houston.

The deputy was identified as Sandeep Dhaliwal, a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. 

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According to KSAT's sister website, Click2Houston.com, Dhaliwal made history in 2015 when the Sheriff's Office allowed him to keep his beard and wear a dastaar (turban) while on patrol — a requirement of his Sikh religion. Dhaliwal became the first HCSO deputy to be allowed to wear a turban and articles of the Sikh faith while on duty.  
  
Dhaliwal had stopped a vehicle with two people inside when one of the occupants was able to leave the vehicle, approach the deputy from behind and shoot him at least twice. 

"(The suspect) basically just shot him in a very ruthless, cold-blooded way," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
  
Dhaliwal was able to return fire, but Gonzalez didn't say if anyone else was wounded. The deputy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
  
"There are no words to speak to how heartbroken we are, how devastated," he said.

A suspect was arrested at a nearby strip shopping center, the sheriff said. The identity of the suspect hasn't been released.