NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The man who was driving the car that NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller had stopped when he was fatally shot in Queens this week has been hit with weapons charges, police said Wednesday.
Lindy Jones, 41, was charged with criminal possession of a loaded weapon and defacing a firearm serial number, according to the NYPD.
“My office will continue working around the clock to seek justice on behalf of Officer Diller’s loved ones, his NYPD family and in honor of his selflessness and courage. A young police officer and father was ruthlessly gunned down in the line of duty, protecting and serving the city of New York,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
He was held without bail and faces up to 15 years if convicted of the charges.
He’s also out on bail for a separate opens weapons charge from April 2023, and faces an additional 15 years in prison for that charge.
Jones, of Edgemere, is not the man alleged to have shot and killed Diller during the traffic stop on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway on Monday evening.
Charges are still pending against the alleged killer, Guy Rivera, 34, who was shot in the back by Diller's partner and remained hospitalized Wednesday.
“The alleged shooter, Guy Rivera, remains hospitalized and in police custody. Appropriate charges will be brought against him as soon as possible,” Katz said.
Jones told police he does not know Rivera and that Rivera was a hitchhiker.
President of the Police Benevolent Association Patrick Hendry said on Wednesday that he doesn’t believe that claim.
“Two career criminals, what were they planning on doing that night? He is just responsible as the individual who pulled that trigger,” Hendry said.
According to police, Jones was in the driver seat of a 2016 Kia Soul and Rivera was in the passenger seat when Diller and his partner stopped the pair because they were illegally parked at a bus stop around 6 p.m.
When the two officers tried to get the men to exit the car, Rivera allegedly pointed a gun at the cops and shot Diller beneath his bullet-proof vest.
The gun Jones was charged for is reportedly a second gun and not the same gun used in the shooting.
Diller—a 31-year-old married father from Massapequa Park who had been with the NYPD for three years—was critically injured and died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
The execution of a search warrant led to the discovery of a loaded 9 mm pistol inside the Kia glove compartment, which is the weapon Jones is accused of criminally possessing and defacing.
Due to a 2002 attempted murder conviction, one of the present weapons charges against Jones was elevated from fourth-degree to third-degree criminal possession.
“This is exactly the type of individual, the repeat offender, that our hero brother went out to try to take off the streets,” Hendry said.
A candlelight vigil honoring Diller is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Brady Park in Massapequa Park. His funeral will be held Saturday in Massapequa.