HOUSTON – The man accused of slaying Harris County deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal has been indicted on capital murder Wednesday, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Robert Solis, 47, will likely face the death penalty, a judge said back in September.
Investigators said Deputy Dhaliwal stopped a vehicle with Solis and a woman inside on Sept. 27 in northwest Harris County. The woman, who was a passenger with Solis, said he was giving her a ride when Dhaliwal allowed another man to pick her up, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said as Dhaliwal walked back to his patrol car, Solis got out of the car, ran toward the deputy with a gun and shot him in the back of the head. Solis then left the scene and the car was later found in a Kroger parking lot, they said.
Officers later arrested Solis at a nearby Marble Slab. Prosecutors also said a surveillance video shows Solis taking something out of his waistband and putting it at the bottom of a dumpster, where they later found the same kind of gun used in the shooting.
Solis was out on probation after being convicted of aggravated kidnapping in 2002. He was to remain on parole until 2022. He was also wanted for a parole violation accused of threatening his girlfriend and having a prohibited gun in 2017.
Dhaliwal was a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He was the first Sikh to join the department and be allowed to wear his turban, beard and other articles of faith on duty.