New Yorkers were heard shouting at one of the two men arrested in the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller during his “perp walk” on Wednesday.
Lindy Jones, the 41-year-old driver of the vehicle stopped by Diller and his partner for illegally parking at a bus stop, faces criminal possession of a weapon and defacing a firearm charges, the department said Wednesday. No charges have been announced yet against the suspected gunman and Diller’s alleged killer, Guy Rivera.
Jones’ “perp walk” was brief, and he did not respond to any questions while police placed him in the back of a department vehicle.
Onlookers shouted things, such as “what do you have to say to his family, Lindy?” as well as “there is a baby that is gonna grow up without a father, Lindy” and “Shame on you young man.”
NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty on March 25, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)
The Queens District Attorney’s Office told Fox News that Jones’ arraignment will take place on Wednesday.
Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire during a traffic stop conducted by Diller and his partner in Far Rockaway, Queens, at about 5:45 p.m. on Monday.
Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly fired first at police, fatally striking Diller in the torso below his protective vest. Rivera was struck by return fire and remains hospitalized at Jamaica Hospital.
After prosecutors obtained a search warrant for the SUV, authorities said a second firearm was found inside the vehicle, WABC reported.
As New York City mourns the 31-year-old Diller, who lived on Long Island with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, one of his neighbors in Massapequa Park, blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support of “inexplicable bail reform laws,” as well as the “revolving door of justice” in the Empire State as having contributed to Diller’s tragic passing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that at least one of the suspects had over 20 prior arrests, demanding Albany state lawmakers address what he deemed a “recidivist problem” driving violent crime.
SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller in Queens as “a senseless act of violence” during his weekly in-person press conference at City Hall on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
According to reports, Rivera had been previously arrested by the NYPD 21 times, including nine times for felony offenses. He was released from prison in September 2021 after serving nearly five years for criminal sale of a controlled substance, WABC reported, citing court records. He previously served three years in state prison in connection to a 2011 assault and was released in October 2014.
Meanwhile, Jones had previously been arrested by the NYPD 14 times, most recently for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for having a loaded firearm in Far Rockaway on April 17, 2023. He was out on $75,000 bail at the time of Diller’s slaying. Jones previously served 10 years in prison stemming from 2003 attempted murder and robbery charges and was released in November 2013.
Authorities suspect Jones and Rivera were casing a T-Mobile store on Mott Avenue on Monday when Diller and his partner asked the two suspects to move their vehicle from a bus stop. The men allegedly refused to roll down their windows. When Diller ordered the passenger, Rivera, to show his hands, Rivera allegedly opened fire, striking Diller below his vest. Diller’s partner then fired at Rivera, striking him in the back, police said.
People pay their respects at a memorial for slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller outside the 101st Precinct on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Diller’s brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, who is also a police officer, posted a tribute on Facebook.
“The Lord called my brother-in-law, Jonathan Diller, home. Surrounded by family and the the men and women in blue, he was walked out [honorably], to many tears and salutes from Jamaica Hospital. What started out as an everyday car stop, instantly became a moment where so many lives would be turned upside down. Jon leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son who will now grow up without his father,” McAuley wrote.
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“To those of you out there in the streets, it can be so easy to become wrapped into the moment. To think horrible events like this cant happen to you. To become focused on making that next arrest or racing to the action. Remember those who love you at those moments,” the post added. “Jon, there are no words to describe how [devastated] we are that you are gone. You were a good man and a great father whose shoes can never be filled. I swear to you that I will look after your son as if he were my own. For the rest of my life.”
Fox News’ Kitty Le Claire contributed to this report.