Candles lit up Brady Park on Long Island to honor fallen NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller on Wednesday.
He was shot and killed on duty Monday while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway.
What You Need To Know
- A community gathered on Long Island to honor fallen NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller on Wednesday
- Earlier Wednesday, the driver whose passenger allegedly shot and killed Diller was arraigned on weapons charges
- The Nassau County police commissioner and other high-ranking law enforcement officials say they will always be there for the Diller family
Diller was a husband and father to a 1-year-old son and beloved by his family, including his brother-in-law.
“He loved his job. He was born to be a cop. He was born to be a hero. He was born to be a hero. He died being a hero,” Joseph Linehop, Diller’s brother-in-law, said.
The rain Wednesday night did not stop the crowds of people who showed up. There was a sense of community to grieve with the family.
“The rain tonight is welcome because it means the heavens are crying,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Earlier Wednesday, the driver whose passenger allegedly shot and killed Diller was arraigned on weapons charges.
Lindy Jones, 41, of Edgemere, was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Investigators found an illegal gun in Jones' car while carrying out a search warrant, the DA's office said. Law enforcement sources said the gun they found was a different weapon than the one used in the shooting.
Guy Rivera, who was the passenger in Jones’ car, is accused of shooting and killing Diller, officials said. Rivera was shot by Diller’s partner and is hospitalized in police custody, but has not yet been charged.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association put out a statement that reads, in part, “The one emotion I cannot get past is unbridled anger. It is anger directed at those who have forsaken the rules and systems of law, thereby emboldening the criminal element to unprecedented proportions.”
The Nassau County police commissioner and other high-ranking law enforcement officials say they will always be there for the Diller family — to show up at family functions and be extended family amidst this tragedy.