Houston: Thousands of people from all walks of life including police officers, Sikh believers, Indian-Americans and Houston-area residents turned out for the day-long ceremonies on early Wednesday to honour slain police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was shot dead on duty during a traffic stop last week.

Dhaliwal (42), was the first Sikh sheriff's deputy in Harris County with a population of over 10,000 Sikhs. He had made national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job. He was gunned down while conducting a routine mid-day traffic stop in northwest of Houston on Friday.