Slain Sikh deputy remembered for helping others, compassion

CYPRESS (AP) — A Texas sheriff’s deputy who was described as "a trailblazer" for being the first Sikh deputy in his agency is being remembered for his compassion, warm smile and for a life marked by service to others.

Funeral services were held Wednesday near Houston for 42-year-old Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal (san-DEEP' DAH'-lee-wahl). He was fatally shot Friday during a traffic stop.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Dhaliwal was “a man of dedication, faith, love and compassion.”

Thousands of people, including law enforcement personnel from the U.S. and Canada, attended the services, held at a sports arena.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the nation’s first Sikh state’s attorney general, said Dhaliwal “inspired an entire generation of Sikhs to public service.”