NYPD officer fatally shot during Queens car stop, police say

Published Mar 25, 2024 at 7:33 p.m. ET

Modified Mar 25, 2024 at 10:29 p.m. ET

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Published Mar 25, 2024 at 7:33 p.m. ET

Modified Mar 25, 2024 at 10:29 p.m. ET

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A police officer was fatally shot during a car stop in Queens Monday evening, the NYPD said.

Officials said Jonathan Diller, 31, was one of two officers who stopped a car parked illegally at a bus stop at 1919 Mott Ave. in Far Rockaway at 5:48 p.m. When they approached the car, the passenger – one of two men in the car – pointed a gun at the officers, and they exchanged fire, police said. Officials said it was believed Diller was shot in the torso under his bullet-resistant vest, while the suspect was shot in the back after Diller’s partner returned fire.

Diller, a three-year veteran with the department, was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, officials said. The suspect – who was not identified – was also taken to Jamaica hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition. Both men inside the car were under arrest, but officials did not identify them because charges were still pending, the NYPD said.

“This evening, on a Queens street, a uniformed New York City police officer was shot doing the job we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He went towards the danger all to keep the people we serve safe," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said at Jamaica Hospital on Monday. “The doctors did everything they could. Tragically, they couldn’t save him and he succumbed to his injuries."

Mayor Eric Adams also visited the hospital Monday evening and was among those to deliver the news of Diller’s death to family members.

"We lost Jonathan tonight. And Stephanie, his wife, I was speaking with her, was extremely impactful. Brought me back at the beginning of my term as mayor speaking with the family members of officers Rivera and Mora, and just feeling that intense pain, hoping that it was not true," Adams said, referencing two officers killed in January 2022 during a domestic violence call in Harlem. “It was because of a senseless act of violence that we witnessed a person [who] had a total disregard for the safety of this city.”

Officials said both men in the car had upwards of 20 previous arrests. One of the men was also arrested on a gun charge in April of last year, authorities said. It was unclear how the two men knew each other, and the incident remains under investigation, authorities said.

Mayor Eric Adams speaks alongside NYPD brass after an officer was fatally shot in Queens.

Authorities said Diller “stayed in the fight” after being shot. The suspect’s weapon had fallen to the ground during a confrontation with police, authorities said, and Diller was able to grab it even after being hit himself.

“It takes unimaginable courage to protect and serve New York City, knowing there’s a chance you might not make it home to your family at the end of the day,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. “NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller was the personification of that courage, and his heroism in making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of public safety will never be forgotten.”

Bahar Ostadan and Phil Corso contributed reporting.

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