HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A deputy who was shot while conducting a traffic stop Friday has died at the hospital, according to the Harris County sheriff.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said 42-year-old Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal "was unable to recover from his injuries."
"I'm sad to share with you that we've lost one of our own," Gonzalez said. "There are no words to convey our sadness. Please keep his family and our agency in your prayers."
In a follow-up news conference in front of the hospital, Gonzalez said Dhaliwal was the first member of the Sikh community to join the sheriff's office. The fallen deputy recently returned from a volunteer mission in Puerto Rico, the sheriff added.
I’m sad to share with you that we’ve lost one of our own. Our @HCSOTexas was unable to recover from his injuries. There are no words to convey our sadness. Please keep his family and our agency in your prayers. #HouNews
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) September 27, 2019
Dhaliwal was shot in the 14800 block of Willancy Court near West Road.
"One of our @HCSOTexas deputies has been shot while conducting a traffic stop," Gonzalez tweeted just before 1 p.m.
Gonzalez originally stated the deputy was seriously injured and was transported by Life Flight. Cy-Fair Fire Department tweeted the deputy was treated at the scene by its EMS workers before his flight to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
BREAKING: @HCSOTexas deputy was just transported by life flight to Memorial Hermann in the medical center. He was shot in Northwest Harris County and is seriously hurt. Houston, let’s rally around him in prayer. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/GSx6cSeZPh
— Erica Simon (@EricaOnABC13) September 27, 2019
One man was seen being taken into custody. He was handcuffed and his hands were bagged for evidence.
Shortly after that, Sheriff Gonzalez tweeted that a possible suspect was detained. They believe the scene is "contained" and poses no current threat to the community.
During the sheriff's first media availability since the shooting, Gonzalez said someone approached the deputy during his stop and shot him multiple times. The sheriff said the deputy was able to return fire.
The sheriff said the suspect "basically just shot him in a very ruthless, cold blooded way."
Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who was formerly the county's sheriff, also addressed the media and asked for prayers from the community for the deputy who he considers a "brother."
"Sheriff deputies have an incredible task. They put their lives in harm's way every single day. Today is another indication that there's nothing routine about this job. That danger can lurk around every single corner at any given time," Garcia said. "This deputy, he's like a brother to me. So it's very painful to see someone who is in the circumstances that they're in right now."
Story courtesy of ABC13.
