NYPD officer shot and killed in Queens: ‘We lost one of our sons today’
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FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (PIX11) – An NYPD officer who was shot and killed in Queens Monday night has been identified as Jonathan Diller.
The 31-year-old officer was shot while conducting a traffic stop at 19-19 Mott Ave. in Far Rockaway around 5:50 p.m., according to NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Mayor Eric Adams announced during a news briefing Monday night.
“Just feeling that intense pain,” Adams said as he offered condolences to Diller’s family. “We lost one of our sons today.”
Diller was a husband and a father to a young child. The mayor spoke with his wife just before the briefing.
“He put himself in harm’s way. He went towards the danger, all to keep the people we serve safe and to protect his fellow New Yorkers,” Caban added.
The commissioner said after Diller and another officer approached the car, which was illegally parked at a bus stop, the suspect pulled a gun and pointed it at the officers. Gunfire erupted, Caban said, and Diller was shot. The other officer also fired, striking the suspect, Caban added.
The NYPD did not provide an update on the suspect’s condition but released a photo of the weapon Monday night. Police identified the suspect on Tuesday as Guy Rivera, 34. Charges have not yet been released.
Diller was shot in the torso, underneath his bullet-proof vest, police said. He was rushed to a hospital but couldn’t be saved.
NYPD officers lined up outside of the hospital Monday night and saluted him as his body was transferred.
Diller was a three-year veteran of the police department, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. He worked for the Community Response Team in Patrol Borough Queens South, according to the NYPD. During his career, he made more than 70 arrests.
“We could see it as the role that police officers play every day, as they move toward violence. But the reality is this is a loved one that we lost – a young man,” Adams said. “My heart goes out to Jonathan’s family.”
Patrick Hendry, the president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, asked for the prayers of “every single New Yorker” for Diller’s family.
“This family is upstairs – a young wife who’s devastated. These police officers who packed the halls just lost a brother,” Hendry said. “Please pray for this family. They need you so much right now.”
Diller’s passing marks the first death of an NYPD officer on the job since 2022 when officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera were ambushed and killed in Harlem during a domestic disturbance call.
Lauren Cook is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City area for over a decade. She has been with PIX11 since 2020. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.
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