The man behind the wheel during the fatal shooting of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller has been sentenced to prison after admitting he possessed a loaded, defaced handgun found inside the vehicle.
QUEENS, N.Y. — The driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal shooting of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller was sentenced Monday to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing an illegal firearm, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
Lindy Jones, 44, of Edgemere, pleaded guilty on June 24 to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. On July 13, he was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
According to prosecutors, Jones was driving a 2016 Kia Soul in Far Rockaway on March 25, 2024, when passenger Guy Rivera fatally shot Detective Diller during a police encounter.
Authorities said Jones’ conviction stems from a loaded, defaced 9 mm handgun that investigators recovered from the vehicle’s glove compartment during a court-authorized search the day after the shooting. Prosecutors said the firearm’s serial number had been scratched off.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Jones “made the deliberate decision to possess a loaded, defaced and unregistered firearm” as he drove through Far Rockaway.
Rivera, 36, was convicted in April of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for the killing of Detective Diller and the attempted killing of Sgt. Sasha Rosen.
He was sentenced on April 27 to 115 years to life in prison.
According to prosecutors, officers approached the parked vehicle after noticing what appeared to be a gun-shaped bulge in Rivera’s sweatshirt pocket.
Investigators said Jones ignored commands to unlock the vehicle while Detective Diller ordered Rivera to exit. Instead, Rivera allegedly drew a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot Diller.
Prosecutors said Rivera then pointed the gun at Sgt. Rosen and pulled the trigger, but the weapon malfunctioned.
Jones and Rivera were arrested at the scene.
Detective Diller was posthumously promoted to the rank of detective following his death.
Key Points
- Lindy Jones was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing an illegal firearm.
- Jones was driving the vehicle when Detective Jonathan Diller was fatally shot in March 2024.
- The gun tied to Jones was recovered from the glove compartment during a search warrant executed
