Coverage of the officer’s death dominated local news throughout Holy Week. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered flags throughout the state to be flown at half-staff in the officer’s honor. Parishes throughout Long Island remembered Diller in their Prayers of the Faithful at Masses.
Diller, a three-year veteran police officer, was killed as he and his partner investigated an illegally parked car. After refusing to exit the car at Diller’s request, a passenger in the car, 34-year-old Guy Rivera of Queens, allegedly opened fire, striking Diller in the stomach just below his bullet-proof vest. He died later at a local hospital. Diller’s partner returned fire and wounded the suspect, who was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Rivera has been charged with first-degree murder, CBS News reported. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Rivera had more than 20 prior arrests.
“Everything about this Church, about our faith, about our prayers today is a reminder that we believe that death is not an end,” Duffy continued in his homily. “The fact that we find ourselves gathered here today on Holy Saturday having just gone through Good Friday awaiting Easter Sunday is a reminder of why we can be here together today at all.”
In his Easter Sunday homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Cardinal Timothy Dolan observed that “last week here in New York City [we] seemed to have two Good Fridays.”
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