Driver In NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller Shooting Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge: DA

QUEENS, NY — A second co-defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from thefatal 2024 shooting of Massapequa native and NYPD detective Jonathan Diller, prosecutors said.

Queens resident Lindy Jones pleaded guilty to a weapons possession charge Wednesday that arose after police found a 9 mm gun in the glovebox of his car the day after Diller was shot and killed, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Jones and his co-defendant Guy Rivera got into the Kia on the evening of March 25, 2024, and were stopped by police who told them to roll down the windows of the car and get out. After the duo refused to unlock the car doors, an NYPD officer reached into the car and unlocked it from the driver's side control panel, prosecutors said.

At that point, Diller opened the passenger's side door and told Rivera to get out; Rivera instead drew a gun and fired, hitting Diller and killing him, prosecutors said. Rivera then took aim at NYPD Sergeant Sasha Rosen and pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed, prosecutors said.

Both Jones and Rivera were arrested at the scene, prosecutors said. The following day, police executed a warrant and searched the Kia, finding the 9 mm pistol in the glovebox with its serial number scratched off, prosecutors said. The gun found in the glovebox was not the one used in the shooting, but Jones was still charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.

Jones’ attorney, Michael Horn, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Rivera was sentenced to 115 years to life in prison in May after being convicted of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and first-degree attempted murder in connection with the shooting of Diller and the attempted killing of Rosen, prosecutors said.

Jones, prosecutors said, will be sentenced to five years in prison with five years of post-release supervision when he returns to court July 14. While he was not the one firing shots in the 2024 incident, Katz said Jones’ actions remained dangerous.

“Lindy Jones drove around the streets of Queens with a loaded, defaced firearm that threatened the lives of everyone he encountered. We have seen firsthand the devastation illegal guns cause as we continue to mourn the killing of Detective Jonathan Diller at the hands of Jones’ codefendant,” Katz said. “That is why my office will continue to methodically rid our streets of lethal weapons and prosecute those who choose to possess them. I thank my Homicide Bureau for securing a guilty plea from this defendant – sparing the family the trauma of reliving the details of that terrible day – and ensuring that he is sentenced to prison for his actions.”