The man accused of killing NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, 31, was charged on Thursday with first-degree murder and faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
Guy Rivera, 34, was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly pointing a gun at Sgt. Sasha Rosen, who was with Diller at the time of the shooting in Far Rockaway on Monday.
“As alleged, the defendant opened fire and took the officer’s life and tried to shoot another member of the NYPD,” Katz said in a statement. “We will not rest until we have achieved justice for Officer Diller, his family, and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD who put their lives on the line to protect us.”
Attorney information for Rivera was not immediately available. Katz’s office said he would be arraigned on Thursday or Friday. Diller’s wake is set to take place Thursday afternoon in Massapequa Park, Long Island, and both former President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are expected to attend. His funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
Diller and Rosen were approaching a car that was illegally parked at a bus stop at 1919 Mott Ave. just before 6 p.m. Monday when Rivera pointed a gun at them and fired, according to police and prosecutors. Diller was shot under his bullet-resistant vest and was later pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital, authorities said.
The alleged driver of the car, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, was charged on Wednesday with criminal weapons possession and defacing a weapon after authorities said they found a loaded pistol in the glovebox with the serial number scratched off. An attorney for Jones did not respond to phone calls and messages.
Rivera’s gun was loaded and he had his finger on the trigger when he pointed at Rosen, prosecutors said, citing police body camera footage, but the gun jammed and didn’t fire. He was shot during the incident and also taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was recovering this week, according to police.
This is a developing story and may be updated.