Violent Easter in New York: Hispanic man accused of killing NYPD police officer had two weapons at the time of the crime and 21 previous arrests

Guy Rivera, arrested on suspicion of killing NYPD officer Jonathan Diller during a simple traffic stop in Queens, had 21 prior arrests and two weapons at the time of the crime late Monday afternoon, according to authorities.

It has been a particularly violent Easter in New York: in addition to the murder of police officer Diller, there were four deaths due to being run over on the Subway in just 22 hours, one of them when a passenger was pushed onto the tracks on Monday by an apparently mentally ill person with previous arrests and that he was out on bail for a previous assault in October.

Aside from the gun with which he shot Diller (31), the 34-year-old defendant had another hidden inside his body, which was found after his arrest, police sources told Pix11. They also found a third gun in the glove compartment of the car after obtaining a search warrant.

According to the NYPD, Rivera was in a gray Kia van driven by the other detainee, Lindy Jones (41), which was parked illegally at a bus stop near the 101st Precinct police station. Detectives believe the two men were in the area. to commit a possible robbery before the traffic stop.

Rivera has a record of 21 arrests, including nine for felonies. He was released from prison in 2021 after serving nearly five years for criminal sale of a controlled substance, according to Department of Corrections records. He had previously been imprisoned for assault in 2011 and was released in 2014.

Jones already had an ongoing criminal case in Queens. In April of last year he was charged with weapons possession. He was out on $75,000 bail and was due back in court Monday. He previously served more than nine years in prison for attempted murder and robbery, and was released in 2012.

When Officer Diller and another colleague approached them around 5:45 p.m. Monday, “They were asked to [Rivera] to abandon the car,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news conference. “They gave him legal orders on numerous occasions to get out of the car and he refused. Instead of getting out of the car, he shot our officer.”

Diller was shot in the torso under his bulletproof vest, but “still remained in the fight. He was trying to disarm the person who had just shot him while [Diller] He was on the ground,” Kenny said. “The gun fell to the ground and since the perpetrator was still reaching for it, this police officer was able to grab it, although he was still shot.”

The officer died after being taken to Jamaica Hospital. His partner shot Rivera in the back, who survived, but remains hospitalized. Jones was unharmed.

Diller lived in Massapequa Park (Long Island) with his wife Stephanie and their almost 1-year-old baby, and joined the NYPD in February 2021, he said. ABCNews. His remains were taken from the hospital to the Office of the Medical Examiner (OCME) shortly after 11:30 pm on Monday. Hundreds of agents greeted the passing of the body, along with the family of the fallen officer.

Mayor Eric Adams, former NYPD, called the case “a senseless act of violence.” “Today we lost one of our children and it is extremely painful,” he said Monday at a press conference, quoted by DailyNews. The next day he made an urgent call to review New York’s justice system and prevent dangerous repeat criminals from enjoying freedom. “It is important to get the bad guys off the streets,” said the local leader.