Gov. Kathy Hochul said she “understands” why slain NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller’s family is “outraged,” but insisted Saturday she was never told to leave the hero cop’s wake — despite being abruptly told “his blood is on your hands.”
“I would do it again, and that’s my job,” said Hochul, defending her decision to attend Diller’s wake a day earlier on Long Island.
“We were told the family is welcoming. We always check, and they said to come, and I went. And no one told me to leave,” Hochul also told Politico during an Easter event at the governor’s mansion in Albany.
Speaking with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation later Saturday, Hochul said she spoke with Diller’s wife Stephanie and other family members at the wake and conceded, “Everyone is just so distraught – and, yes, there’s a lot of anger.”
“Understandably there’s anger about how these individuals could commit crimes over and over and are back out on the street again,” added Hochul, who didn’t attend Saturday’s funeral service.
Since Diller, 31, was killed Monday during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, Hochul has come under fire as the face of controversial bail reform, which law enforcement blames for the rise in recidivism.
Despite her own efforts to roll back the reforms, Hochul has failed to cut down the changes that many argue allow violent criminals onto the street and put cops and everyday New Yorkers at risk.
The prime suspect in Diller’s murder – 34-year-old Guy Rivera – has at least 21 prior arrests and did a five-year prison stint.
What to know about the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller:
- Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, on March 25, 2024.
- Suspect Guy Rivera allegedly opened fire on Diller on Monday evening after the cop approached the vehicle Rivera was in for parking in front of a bus stop.
- Diller was shot once in the stomach below his bulletproof vest. The married father of a 1-year-old boy was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
- Rivera was wounded when Diller’s partner returned fire. The suspect has 21 prior arrests and was found to have a shiv stored in his rectum during the shooting — in apparent anticipation of being sent to jail again.
- Lindy Jones, the ex-con behind the wheel of the car during the shooting, was also arrested after a second gun was found in his car.
- Mayor Eric Adams has renewed his calls for Albany to address criminal recidivism following the shooting involving two suspects with lengthy criminal records.
Follow The Post’s complete coverage of fallen NYPD Officer Diller’s wake
“We worked hard with the [state] Legislature last year to change the bail laws, so the judges have more discretion, and there’s a lot of complicated factors here,” said Hochul.
“But I totally understand the outrage of the family. I really do.”
“We are really working hard to keep crime down,” insisted Hochul, touting her order earlier this month to deploy 750 National Guardsmen and 250 state and MTA cops into NYC’s subway system.
How Post readers can help
You can help Officer Jonathan Diller’s 1-year-old son via the Silver Shield Foundation, which will help fund his future education. Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens, leaving behind his wife, Stephanie, and baby Ryan.
The Silver Shield Foundation was launched in 1982 by late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for the families of NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty.
You can make a contribution at silvershieldfoundation.org/donate or send it to: Silver Shield Foundation, 870 UN Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Hochul, however, failed to address the Diller family member, who according to a source, confronted her at the wake and said, “We don’t want you here. You’re not wanted here. You have blood on your hands. If you want to do something, change the bail laws.”
Hochul spokesman Avi Small also declined to address the confrontation, only saying in an email that the governor “attended the wake … to mourn the loss of Officer Diller, offer her condolences and hear from his family and loved ones who are dealing with unimaginable grief.”
