In remembrance of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, who was reportedly shot and murdered by 34-year-old suspect Guy Rivera in late March, more than a hundred police officers turned out on Tuesday.
Politicians, including former president Donald Trump, attended the funeral and was enthusiastically welcomed in his wake. Mourners cheered the law and order Trump as they demanded that New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, go.
The driver at the time of Rivera’s killing of Diller was reportedly 41-year-old Lindy Jones, who faces second-degree criminal possession of a weapon charge. Jones served a 10-year prison term after being convicted of attempted murder and robbery in 2003, one of fourteen arrests that year.
Last April, Jones was taken into custody on suspicion of possessing a firearm; however, he was later freed on a $75,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court again on Monday. The mayor, Eric Adams, said that he exemplified the “recidivist problem,” in which a small number of criminals perpetrate a high volume of crimes. In 2001, he was accused of shooting a guy three times, leading to charges of robbery, assault, and attempted murder. According to reports, Jones—who is said to go by the moniker “Killa”—told authorities that he didn’t know who Rivera was.
As for the killing, Rivera was previously indicted on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, four counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm. Whether it’s the killing of a schoolyard kid or an NYPD cop exercising his duty to protect us, illegal firearms wreak havoc, and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has said that removing them from circulation is her office’s top goal.
Jones was directed to appear in court again on June 12, while Rivera is next due on May 7.
