A year after NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller was fatally shot in the line of duty, mourners and top NYPD brass on Tuesday packed a Long Island church where the slain cop’s wife and toddler were among those remembering his legacy.
The solemn anniversary service at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre brought together uniformed officers, family members, friends and NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who paid tribute to the fallen officer during the ceremony.
“Jon believed so deeply in the work he did and the unbreakable bond of policing,” Tisch wrote in a post on X. “His wife Stephanie and son Ryan will forever be part of the NYPD. May his memory continue to be a blessing.”
Diller, 31, was killed while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway with other officers on March 25, 2024. He and his partner, Veckash Khedna, approached an illegally parked Kia Soul on Mott Ave. near Smith Place and ordered the occupants to exit, but they refused.
Diller attempted to remove the passenger, Guy Rivera, but the man pulled out a gun and fired at point-blank range, striking Diller in the hip just below his bulletproof vest and hitting an artery. Rivera then attempted to shoot Sgt. Sasha Rosen, but his weapon jammed, and Khedna fired off two shots, striking Rivera in the back.
Rivera, 35, was charged with murder and attempted murder, while the man in the driver’s seat, 42-year-old Lindy Jones, was hit with weapons charges.
Diller was a member of the NYPD’s Queens South Community Response Team and a father to a then 1-year-old son.
