The widow of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller was overcome with emotion in a New York City courtroom, surrounded by a sea of blue uniforms, as prosecutors delivered a harrowing account of the bullet that fatally wounded her husband. The officer, a married father, was allegedly shot multiple times during a routine traffic stop.
Stephanie Diller left the Queens courtroom before the jury was shown body camera footage of her husband’s 2024 shooting death. This footage was part of the murder trial of 35-year-old Guy Rivera, which commenced in Queens Supreme Court on Tuesday.
During the opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Ken Zawistowski described the tragic event. “Rivera pulled out his gun and aimed it at Officer Diller,” he stated.
Zawistowski further explained, “He fired a shot that struck Officer Diller beneath his bulletproof vest, causing catastrophic damage by tearing through his intestines and severing his iliac artery—a critical artery in the body.”
As the trial unfolded, Stephanie Diller, visibly shaken, attended the proceedings, witnessing the trial of the man accused of murdering her husband. (Fox News)
Zawistowski continued, “The bullet tore through his abdomen, and in his final moments, Officer Diller managed to wrest the gun from his assailant’s hands.”
The body camera footage showed the moments officers attempted to revive Diller in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Dozens of police officers sat silently in the courtroom gallery for the first day of Rivera’s trial, filling two overflow rooms and surrounding Diller’s widow as jurors listened to opening statements. Several officers teared up during the proceedings.
Rivera, a career criminal with nearly two dozen prior arrests, according to police, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges after prosecutors said he gunned down Diller in Far Rockaway March 25, 2024.
Guy Rivera was charged with first-degree murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the case. He pleaded not guilty. (Fox News)
The incident unfolded after Diller inspected a suspicious vehicle parked outside a T-Mobile store, and Rivera, who was seated in the passenger seat, allegedly fired three rounds at the officer, striking him in the stomach.
Rivera’s attorney, Erin Darcy, claimed shots were fired in “an unintentional discharge” as a police sergeant attempted to pull Rivera out of the vehicle, making the NYPD responsible for Diller’s death.
Rivera was also shot during the confrontation.
On Tuesday, Zawistowski pointed to the fact that Rivera faced a choice when Diller approached his vehicle.
“One, surrender his firearm peacefully and inform the officers that he was in possession of two loaded firearms — one tucked in his jacket pocket and the other in the glove compartment in front of him,” Zawistowski said.
Officer Jonathan Diller in an undated family photo, holding his 1-year-old son. (Jean O’Donnell/Facebook)
“The defendant had choices. That day, he chose violence.”
In a statement, NYPD PBA President Patrick Hendry promised that NYPD officers would continue to appear in the courtroom to support Diller’s loved ones as Rivera’s trial unfolds.
Murder suspect and ex-con Guy Rivera appears for his arraignment in a Queens courtroom May 7. Rivera was charged with the murder of NYPD Officer Johnathan Diller and attempted murder of his partner, Sgt. Sasha Rosen. (Fox News)
“Jonathan Diller was a talented person who could have succeeded at any profession that he would have chosen,” Hendry said, according to the New York Post. “But he knew he had a mission in life — to help people and save lives. And he did that every day as a New York City Police officer.
“Unfortunately, his family is going to have to relive this nightmare for the next three weeks.”
Rivera’s attorney and the NYPD PBA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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