A New York City police officer was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop, Mayor Eric Adams announced. This marked the first killing of an NYPD officer in two years.
Mayor Adams expressed deep sorrow over the loss, stating, “We lost one of our sons today, and it is extremely painful.”
The shooting occurred shortly before 5:50 p.m. in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens. Officer Jonathan Diller and his partner encountered a vehicle parked illegally at a bus stop.
As they approached the vehicle, a man inside opened fire, striking Officer Diller below his bullet-proof vest, according to Police Commissioner Edward Caban. Diller’s partner returned fire, injuring the suspected shooter, who was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital.
Diller was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, but tragically, he could not be revived, officials confirmed. With just three years of service, Diller was married and leaves behind a young child, Police Commissioner Caban announced on the social media platform X.
“We struggle to find the words to express the tragedy of losing one of our own,” wrote Caban.
Joseph Kenny, the police department’s chief of detectives, revealed that Diller and his partner initially attempted to instruct the vehicle’s driver and passenger to exit the car, which was halted on a bustling yet narrow street in a busy commercial area.
“He was asked to leave the car,” Kenny said, referring to the individual who brandished the gun. “He was given a lawful order numerous times to step out of the car. He refused. And when the officers took him out of the car, rather than stepping out of the car, he shot our officer.”
Kenny noted that despite being wounded, Diller “stayed in the fight” and endeavored to disarm the shooter, whose identity was not immediately disclosed by police.
“The gun hit the ground. And as the perpetrator was still reaching for it, this cop was able to grab it, although he was still shot,” Kenny recounted.
Witnesses recounted a chaotic scene that unfolded rapidly.
“It happened so fast,” Melissa Morgan, 39, told the Daily News. “The police officer fell on the floor and the other officers dragged the two guys out of the car. I was running for cover.”
Deon Peters, another witness, shared with the New York Post that he observed Diller on the ground. “He was moving, he was saying ‘I’m hit, I’m hit,’” Peters recalled.
This incident marks the first slaying of an NYPD officer since 2022 when Officers Wilbert Mora, 27, and Jason Rivera, 22, were ambushed in a Harlem apartment building while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, expressed condolences and solidarity with Diller’s family. He condemned the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.”
“Can I say it any clearer? It is the good guys against the bad guys,” Adams stated. “And these bad guys are violent. They carry guns. And the symbol of our public safety, which is that police uniform, they have a total disregard for.”
According to Police Commissioner Edward Caban, one of the individuals in the vehicle had previously been arrested on a gun charge in April 2023.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of New York, voiced anger and frustration over the shooting.
