Ex-con driver in shooting death of NYPD hero Jonathan Diller faces 30 years behind bars as prosecutors reveal new details in case

The ex-convict who allegedly bragged about ‘I shoot people’ after a passenger in his car killed NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller was brought to court Tuesday – as new details were revealed in the ‘affair.

Lindy Jones, 41, was ordered held without bail on multiple criminal possession of a weapon charges in Queens Criminal Court related to the deadly March 25 standoff that saw Diller fatally shot in stomach – with prosecutors now saying the murder weapon was jammed. during the confrontation.

Jones was sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked Kia Soul when officers approached and passenger Guy Rivera opened fire on the officers.

The charges against Jones, whose street name is “Killa,” are related to a 9mm pistol found in the Kia and not the gun used to kill Diller, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Jones faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the current charges and an additional 15 years on a separate open weapons charge starting in April 2023, the prosecutor said.

The two mandates would be served consecutively.

He allegedly confessed to cops: “My name is Lindy Jones Jr. and I shoot people,” prosecutors said.

Jones has at least 14 arrests on his criminal record, including for robbery, assault and attempted murder in a 2001 case in which he was accused of shooting a man three times.

Rivera, 34, is also a seasoned criminal with 21 arrests under his belt and spent five years in state prison for a drug conviction before being released in 2021 and completing his parole in 2022.

Diller, a married father of a 1-year-old boy, was questioning Jones and Rivera after spotting Kia parked at a bus stop on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway when he was shot under his bulletproof vest, according to police.

“I’m devastated!” » Diller – a 3-year veteran of the NYPD who was posthumously promoted to detective – can be heard saying on body camera video, a police source previously said.

The distance between Rivera and Diller was no more than 2 feet, the source said.

After shooting Diller, Rivera then pointed his gun at Sgt. Sasha Rosen, who was with the fatally wounded officer, prosecutors revealed in charging documents.

Rosen pushed the gun away — while Rivera’s finger remained on the trigger and he attempted to point the .380-caliber pistol at the sergeant, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The gun was loaded but jammed after the fatal bullet struck Diller — a turning point that helped prevent further injury, prosecutors said.

Judge Michael B. Aloise ordered Jones to return to court June 12.

Rivera – who was charged with first and second degree murder, attempted first and second degree murder, four counts of second degree criminal possession of a weapon and third degree criminal possession of a weapon for the homicide — could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted, prosecutors said.

He is due back in court on May 7.

Diller was laid to rest after the funeral in Massapequa, following a two-day vigil that drew hundreds of uniformed officers and included a visit from former President Donald Trump.

“There is no greater priority for my office than removing illegal guns from our streets to prevent the devastation they cause, whether it’s the shooting of a child playing in a backyard. “school or an NYPD officer doing his job to keep us safe,” Queens said. » DA Melinda Katz said in a statement. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving this goal and seeking justice for Detective Diller and his loved ones.”