On March 25, 2024, New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Jonathan Diller was shot while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens.
[1][2][3] Another police officer had reported seeing a man carrying a firearm in the front pocket of his sweatshirt enter the passenger side of the vehicle prior to this encounter, according to Queens district attorney Melinda Katz.
[5] The occupants refused to comply with police orders to exit the vehicle, according to the NYPD's chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny.
[7] Officer Veckash Khedna, Diller's partner who was positioned on the driver's side of the vehicle, subsequently returned fire, striking Rivera in the back.
His first commanding officer, Inspector Igor Pinkhasov, said Diller adapted quickly and excelled on patrol in one of the precinct's busiest areas.
[9] He was posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade by NYPD commissioner Edward Caban and given the shield number 110, in reference to his son's birthday.
[26] New York City mayor Eric Adams stated Rivera had a lengthy criminal record with 21 prior arrests, including 9 felonies.
[30] Lindy Jones, who police stated was the driver of the Kia Soul,[31] had 14 prior arrests, dating back to 2001 when he was charged with attempted murder and robbery in a case wherein he was accused of shooting a man three times.
[22] At the time of Diller's killing, Jones was out on $75,000 bail after being charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly having a loaded firearm in Far Rockaway in April 2023.
"[43] Diller was the first NYPD officer to be killed in the line of duty since January 2022,[44][45] when Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were fatally shot by Lashawn McNeil while responding to a domestic disturbance call in a Harlem apartment building.
[46] For Diller's funeral on March 30, thousands of police officers lined the streets as the hearse transported his coffin to St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa.
[16] In her eulogy, Diller's widow Stephanie called for the city to get tougher on crime and referenced the murders of Rivera and Mora.
[47] New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the killing in a press conference the day afterwards and mentioned recidivism and severe mental illness as problems in the city, also referencing another incident on March 25 in which a suspect with a long criminal history had allegedly killed a man by pushing him into the path of an oncoming train in an East Harlem subway station.
"[48][27] Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, described the suspect who allegedly shot Diller as a "vicious career criminal" who "should have never been on the streets.
[16] Vincent Vallelong, president of the NYPD's Sergeants Benevolent Association, said in a letter to union members: "I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity.
Hochul recalled that she "said prayers at the casket" and denied reports that she had been asked to leave, stating: "We were told the family is welcoming.
"[51] Hochul has faced criticism for the state's bail reform dating back to when she was lieutenant-governor, and what Republicans perceive as soft-on-crime policies.
[52] This was the first time Biden and Adams had spoken in over a year, amidst a conflict between the pair related to the New York City migrant housing crisis.
[53] White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre described Diller's death as a "painful reminder of the toll of gun violence", and said Biden's administration has worked to address this issue.
[56] In remarks made to reporters after the wake, Trump mourned the death of Diller and called the alleged shooter a "thug".