Mourners gather at funeral for slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller

Nearly a week after New York City Police Officer Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty, his loved ones, colleagues and the community gathered to remember him at his funeral on Saturday.

Officer Diller, 31, was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop in the Far Rockaway section of Queens on Monday, in what marked the first slaying of an NYPD officer in two years.

A sea of blue flooded the street in front of the St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa, on Long Island, on Saturday, as thousands of New York City police officers, as well as officers from other departments around the region, showed up to show their respects for the fallen cop.

Hundreds of civilians also lined the hearse’s route, including school children holding signs in support of the police, The New York Times reported.

Officer Diller’s wife bounced their young child in her arms as the hearse approached and a lone bagpiper began to play. Officers saluted his flag draped casket as it was carried into the church.

The shooting that cut the officer’s life short happened on Monday just before 5:50 p.m. after Officer Diller and his partner encountered a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop.

As they approached the vehicle, a man inside shot Diller below his bullet-proof vest, said Police Commissioner Edward Caban. Diller’s partner returned fire and wounded the suspected shooter, who was brought to an area hospital.

Diller was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center but could not be saved, officials said.

The police department’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said Diller and his partner had initially tried to order the vehicle’s driver and passenger out of the car, which was stopped on a busy but narrow street in a bustling commercial district.

“He was asked to leave the car,” Kenny said of the person who pulled the gun.

“He was given a lawful order numerous times to step out of the car. He refused. And when the officers took him out of the car, rather than stepping out of the car, he shot our officer.”

Kenny said Diller “stayed in the fight” after being wounded and tried to disarm the shooter, whose name was not immediately released by police.

“The gun hit the ground. And as the perpetrator was still reaching for it, this cop was able to grab it, although he was still shot,” Kenny said.

Former President Donald J. Trump attended the wake for Officer Diller on Thursday. He has denounced New York City’s progressive policies on crime.

On Thursday, he told reporters that the country needed to “get back to law and order” and crack down on violent crime.

He then called on Mayor Eric Adams to offer condolences on the officer’s death. Mr Adams was also at the wake on Thursday.

Officer Diller had been with the police department for three years, was married and had a young child.

The slaying was the first of an NYPD officer since 2022, when two officers, Wilbert Mora, 27, and Jason Rivera, 22, were ambushed in a Harlem apartment building after responding to a domestic disturbance call.