Driver in fatal shooting of fallen NYPD Officer Diller pleads not guilty: DA
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – The driver of a car involved in the fatal shooting of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller pleaded not guilty to weapons charges, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
Lindy Jones, the driver of a car approached by the late Detective Diller before he was fatally shot by Jones’ passenger, was arraigned on a criminal possession charge for a gun found in his car the day after the shooting, according to Katz.
Jones could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted, according to Katz. He's also facing an unrelated weapons charge.
“There is no higher priority for my office than taking illegal guns off our streets to prevent the devastation they cause, whether it is the shooting of a child playing in a school yard or an NYPD officer doing his job to keep us safe,” Katz said in a statement.
Jones was initially arrested on March 26, a day after police say he and Diller’s accused killer, Guy Rivera, were spotted leaving a store and entering a car near 19-19 Mott Ave. in Queens, according to Katz’s office.
When Diller and other officers approached the car, which police said was illegally parked, Rivera allegedly shot the 31-year-old officer, Katz said.
Diller was rushed to an area hospital where he later died, officials said.
The next day, law enforcement officials found a defaced gun with no serial number in Jones’ car, landing him the weapons charge, according to Katz.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered local news for years. She has been with PIX11 since 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.