Individuals linked to the fatal shooting of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller named, with extensive criminal histories

A New York Police Department (NYPD) source confirmed to Fox News the identities of the two suspects involved in the fatal shooting of 31-year-old NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller during a Queens traffic stop. 

The suspected shooter, 34-year-old Guy Rivera, has at least four prior arrests, according to the source. 

The driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, has at least 12 prior arrests. His last arrest was in April 2023 for a loaded firearm, the NYPD source told Fox News. 

“Less than a year gun charge,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference. “He’s back on the streets. April 2023. This is what you call not a crime problem, a recidivist problem. Same bad people doing bad things to good people. Less than a year, he’s back on the streets with another gun.”

Diller was struck in the torso, just below his bullet-resistant vest. 

Officials say Diller’s partner then fired at a suspect, striking him in the back. Diller was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The NYPD source confirmed that Rivera was shot, and is expected to survive.

Firefighters salute as the ambulance transporting the body of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller exits Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in the Queens borough of New York, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)

He had been with the NYPD for three years and had more than 70 arrests, NYPD officials said. He is survived by his wife and their young child, PIX 11 reported. 

The suspected gunman was last released from a New York prison in 2021 after serving 5 years behind bars for criminal possession of a controlled substance, the New York Post reported, citing state records and law enforcement sources. His parole in that case ended last year. He also served a prison term beginning in 2011 over a first-degree assault charge before he was released in 2014, records show.

Diller’s killing is the first on-duty death of an NYPD officer since the early 2022 shootings of officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.