The man behind the wheel when NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller was fatally shot has admitted to possessing a loaded, defaced handgun found inside the vehicle after the shooting.
QUEENS, N.Y. — The driver of the car involved in the fatal shooting of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller has pleaded guilty to a top weapons charge and is expected to be sentenced to prison next month.
Lindy Jones, 43, of Edgemere, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
Jones was behind the wheel of a parked Kia Soul in Far Rockaway on March 25, 2024, when his passenger, Guy Rivera, shot and killed Officer Jonathan Diller during a traffic stop.
According to prosecutors, a court-authorized search of the vehicle the following day uncovered a loaded, defaced 9 mm pistol inside the glove compartment. The gun’s serial number had been scratched off.
Justice Michael Yavinsky indicated he will sentence Jones on July 14 to five years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The fatal encounter began at approximately 5:45 p.m. when an NYPD sergeant noticed what appeared to be a gun-shaped bulge in Rivera’s sweatshirt pocket, prosecutors said.
Jones got into the driver’s seat of the Kia while Rivera entered the passenger side.
Detective Diller and other officers approached the vehicle and repeatedly ordered Rivera to roll down his window and exit the car, according to prosecutors.
Authorities said Jones also refused orders to unlock the vehicle. Another officer eventually reached through an open window and unlocked the doors.
When Detective Diller opened the passenger door and again ordered Rivera out of the car, Rivera allegedly pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun from his pocket and shot Diller.
Prosecutors said Rivera then pointed the gun at Sgt. Sasha Rosen and pulled the trigger, but the weapon jammed.
Jones and Rivera were taken into custody at the scene.
Rivera was convicted of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree and weapons charges in connection with Detective Diller’s killing and the attempted murder of Sgt. Rosen. He was sentenced in April to 115 years to life in prison.
Diller, who was an officer at the time of his death, was posthumously promoted to detective.
District Attorney Katz said the guilty plea spares Diller’s family from reliving the details of the shooting at trial.
Key Points
- Lindy Jones, the driver during the fatal shooting of Detective Jonathan Diller, pleaded guilty to a weapons charge.
- Investigators found a loaded, defaced 9 mm handgun in the glove compartment of the v
