The driver of the car involved in the fatal shooting of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller has been sentenced to five years in prison for a separate loaded, defaced handgun found inside the vehicle.
Lindy Jones, 44, of Edgemere, pleaded guilty June 24 to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the top count of the indictment against him.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky sentenced Jones on July 14 to five years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The weapon was discovered in the glove compartment of the 2016 Kia Soul that Jones was driving when Diller was killed on March 25, 2024.
Prosecutors said the loaded 9 mm pistol had been defaced, with its serial number scratched off.
Jones was behind the wheel when his passenger, Guy Rivera, shot Diller with a different gun during an encounter outside 19-19 Mott Ave. in Far Rockaway.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., a police sergeant noticed what appeared to be the shape of a gun in the front pocket of Rivera’s sweatshirt as Rivera walked alongside Jones, prosecutors said.
Jones entered the driver’s seat of the Kia, while Rivera got into the passenger seat.
Diller and other members of his team approached the vehicle. Prosecutors said Diller repeatedly ordered Rivera to lower his window and step outside, but Rivera refused.
Jones also refused an order to unlock the vehicle. Another officer reached through an open window and used the driver’s-side controls to unlock the doors.
When Diller opened the passenger door and ordered Rivera to get out, Rivera pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired, striking Diller.
Rivera then pointed the gun at NYPD Sgt. Sasha Rosen’s chest and pulled the trigger, prosecutors said. The weapon jammed.
Diller, 31, later died from his injuries. He was serving as an NYPD officer at the time of the shooting and was posthumously promoted to detective.
Jones and Rivera were taken into custody at the scene.
Investigators obtained a court-authorized warrant to search the Kia the following day. Police then recovered the loaded 9 mm pistol from the glove compartment.
Rivera, 36, was convicted April 1 of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, first-degree attempted murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
He was sentenced April 27 to 115 years to life in prison for killing Diller, attempting to kill Rosen and illegally possessing the firearms.
Photo: NYPD
