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FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (PIX11) – An NYPD officer who was shot and killed in Queens Monday night has been identified as 31-year-old 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.”
Adams said Diller leaves behind a wife. The mayor spoke with her 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 suspect’s weapon.
Caban said investigators believe Diller was shot in the torso, underneath his bullet-proof vest. Diller was rushed to a hospital but couldn’t be saved, authorities said.
He 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.
“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.”
