The tragic shooting and death of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller is receiving a lot of media attention, as it should. All such cop shootings and those of other first responders should be covered as the heartbreaking tragedies that they are.
It is important to remember that the vast majority of Americans are generous and compassionate people. The increase in street crime and violence against police officers during the Biden administration and before seems to be escalating. It’s hard to find good news.
There is hope. There is always hope.
Barstool Sports and founder Dave Portnoy stepped up and is making a $1.5M donation to the family of Officer Diller. The 31-year-old cop leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old baby boy. Their lives are forever changed and money will help Stephanie Diller make a life for herself and her young son.
Portnoy immediately began raising money for them. He agreed to match the total donations. Portnoy announced that Barstool fans raised $750K. His matching funds bring the total to $1.5M.
‘Thanks to everybody who donated,’ Portnoy told his X followers. ‘We raised 750k. With the matching of the funds that brings the total to 1.5 million that will go directly to the family.’
Thanks to everybody who donated. We raised 750k. With the matching of the funds that brings the total to 1.5 million that will go directly to the family. https://t.co/uta26geRjR
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) March 28, 2024
Officer Diller was shot during a routine traffic stop.
Diller and a colleague were working in Far Rockaway as part of the NYPD Critical Response Team focusing on car crime.
When they asked the 34-year-old suspect to step out of the car he refused, pointed a gun at the officers and fired, hitting Diller in the torso just below his bullet-resistant vest.
Witnesses heard the shots ring out at 5:50pm, less than two blocks from the NYPD’s 101st Precinct stationhouse.
‘It happened so fast,’ Melissa Morgan, 39, told the Daily News.
‘The police officer fell on the floor and the other officers dragged the two guys out of the car. I was running for cover.
‘He shot a cop, it’s unbelievable.’
The Defund the Police movement has destroyed law and order. People blame the police when bad things happen, not the criminals. It’s an upside-down world. I am old enough to remember the case in St. Louis of Michael Brown. That’s when BLM began. The false narrative about Brown’s death after trying to grab a police officer’s gun was never believable yet the media ran with the ” hands up, don’t shoot” storyline. Obama was president then and he sent cabinet members, and his attorney general, Eric Holder, to Brown’s funeral. It was crazy. Fast forward to 2020 and the Summer of Love after the death of George Floyd. That story has also been debunked yet Floyd has been elevated to sainthood. Protests and marches turned into riots that destroyed cities across the country, all entirely avoidable. There is no going back from all that.
The police have to work in the kind of environment that is very dangerous for them. Recruitment is down in many cities. Who would want to be a cop these days?
Another generous gesture will help the family of Officer Diller. Tunnel to Towers announced it will pay off the mortgage on Diller’s home. CEO Frank Siller announced it on Fox and Friends. He joined Portnoy to discuss how the family will be supported.
Siller emphasized there are “still so many other” law enforcement families that need the organization’s help, citing a 40% increase in police officer deaths this year.
Portnoy acknowledged that money wasn’t the whole answer but they will be there for financial support.
This will go a long way to ease the life of this young family.
Police arrested the murderers.
Police arrested the suspect in the fatal police shooting, 34-year-old Guy Rivera. He has over 20 prior arrests, primarily for drug and violent offenses. The driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, who also had a lengthy criminal record, was also arrested.
It’s time to replace the elected officials who allow such people on the streets with law and order politicians, which usually means Republicans. They need to be locked up for the rest of their lives. Biden’s America needs a lot of cleaning up and attention to violent crime is at the top of the list.