Trump Pays Respects at NYPD Officer’s Wake Amid Campaign Focus on Crime

Debraylife – Former President Trump went to the funeral on Thursday of New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed earlier this week while performing a traffic stop.

Donald Trump told reporters later, “What happened is such a sad, sad event, such a horrible thing.”

He said again in a few words that he was sorry for Diller’s death and used the wake to talk about crime and public safety, which is a common theme during the campaign season.

We need to stop it. Donald Trump said, “We have to stop it.” “Border law must be restored.” This is not working, so we need to change a lot of things.

“Incidences of shootings, murder, and other bellwether crimes in New York City were markedly reduced again in February compared to the same month last year,” wrote the NYPD in its citywide crime report for February.

Further, the police said that crime in all five boroughs “continued its downward trajectory, dipping another 1.1%.”

According to police, Officer Diller and another officer went up to a car that was parked illegally on Monday and asked Lindy Jones and Guy Rivera to move their car. Authorities say the two men refused to roll down their windows, and when they were told to show their hands, Riviera is said to have shot Diller.

SEE MORE: Trump’s Upcoming Fundraiser Set to Outdo Biden’s Obama Event, Allies Assert

Doctors rushed Diller to the hospital, but he died there.

Thursday morning, Rivera, 34, was charged with murdering a police officer, attempting to kill a police officer, and having a gun illegally. His arraignment date is unknown because he is still at Jamaica Hospital being treated for a gunshot wound to the back that Diller’s partner supposedly gave him after he fired his gun. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer who can speak for him.

Jones, who is 41 years old, is being charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of an altered firearm. During his Wednesday court appearance, prosecutors used his past of violence and missed court dates to make their case for keeping him in jail without bail.

Jones is a flight risk, so Judge Maria Gonzalez put him back in jail. Plus, it’s not clear if he has a lawyer.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz was in the courtroom for the hearing, which was full of police officers, including Chief of Patrol John Chell.

Jones has been arrested 14 times before for crimes like attempted murder and robbery, and he was out on bail for a different crime, according to police records. According to police reports, Rivera has been arrested 21 times by the NYPD.

Thursday, Trump drew attention to the fact that the people being charged with killing Diller have a history of crime.

The reason they don’t learn is that they don’t respect. Regarding Rivera and Jones, Trump said, “They don’t.” “The police are the best people we have, but they don’t get enough respect.” Nothing and no one else is like them, and this should never happen.

MORE: Trump is significantly less wealthy than Biden because his friends have to pay huge legal fees, which cuts into their cash flow.
Trump often remembered police officers who had died while he was in office. On Tuesday, he used social media to mourn Diller’s death and attack the accused shooter, pointing out his previous arrests.

Additionally, Trump talked on the phone with the officer’s family on Tuesday while they were at the funeral home.

Trump said he wanted to meet Diller’s wife and their child after the wake on Thursday. He said the child “doesn’t know how his life has been changed.”

On the same day as Trump’s event, President Joe Biden is holding a fundraiser in New York. This event was planned a long time ago, before Thursday’s wake. Biden will be joined at the event by past Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Biden’s team says that the event will bring in more than $25 million, which is a “historic” amount for a single event.

ABC News has learned that the joint dinner between Trump and the Republican Party next week in Palm Beach, Florida, is expected to bring in at least $33 million.

Biden’s “glitzy fundraiser” with “elitist” backers on Thursday got flak from Trump’s campaign. However, the White House says that Biden spoke with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to express his sadness over the death of Diller and offer any help that was needed.

The ex-president has been taking some time off from campaigning. Earlier this week, he was in New York for a court hearing in his criminal trial there for paying Stormy Daniels hush money. No wrongdoing was done by him.

During the trial, Trump often said that prosecutors were only interested in going after him and not trying to stop severe crime in the city. Prosecutors denied this claim. As he rails against crime in New York City, he has used the death of Officer Diller to make this point clear.