NYPD Officer Shot Dead In Traffic Stop Was Father, Husband: Officials
Officer Jonathan Diller died Monday in a "senseless act of violence" by a man with a long criminal record, Mayor Eric Adams said. Officer Jonathan Diller, a 31-year-old father and son, was shot dead during a traffic stop in Queens. Despite being shot in the torso, Diller managed to wrestle the gun from the shooter, who was identified as Guy Rivera, 34. The incident occurred about 5:50 p.m. on Mott Avenue and occurred after Diller and his partner conducted a routine traffic stop on a car illegally parked at a bus stop. The shooter was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition and pronounced dead. The suspected shooter had a long criminal record, including a gun arrest in April 2023.
Published : a month ago by Matt Troutman in General
Officer Jonathan Diller, 31, died Monday evening in what Mayor Eric Adams called a "senseless act of violence." "These dangerous individuals inflicted a level of violence that took the life of a police officer, of a husband, a son," he said.
Watch as @NYCMayor, @NYPDPC and NYPD executives provide an update on an ongoing investigation in Queens. https://t.co/i8slnloxPJ
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 26, 2024 The shooting unfolded about 5:50 p.m. in Far Rockaway after Diller and his partner conducted a traffic stop on a car illegally parked a bus stop along Mott Avenue, police officials said. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said a man inside the car — identified as Guy Rivera, 34, according to the New York Post — pointed a gun at Diller and his fellow officer after they walked up.
"Shots were fired and one of our officers were struck," he said. "At this time, we believe he was shot in the torso underneath his bullet-resistant vest."
Diller, despite his wound, still managed to help wrestle the gun from the shooter, said Joseph Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives. Diller's partner returned the gunfire and shot the shooter, who was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition, according to reporters.
Medics rushed Diller to the same hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, police said.
The incident is still under investigation as the NYPD mourned Diller. Adams and police officials noted the suspected shooter had a long criminal record, including a gun arrest in April 2023. A passenger in the shooter's car also had a lengthy rap sheet, according to the New York Post. "Tonight this city lost a hero, a wife lost her husband, and a young child lost their father," tweeted Caban. Diller's son is just 1-year-old, according to the New York Post.
"We struggle to find the words to express the tragedy of losing one of our own. The work that Police Officer Jonathan Diller did each day to make this city a safer place will NEVER be forgotten."
Topics: Crime, Law Enforcement, NYPD