OAN’s James Meyers
3:12 PM -Friday, March 29, 2024
Governor Kathy Hochul abruptly left the wake of slain New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller Friday afternoon, after a tense confrontation with another man who was in attendance to pay his respects.
Advertisement
Hochul (D-N.Y.) arrived at the Massapequa Funeral Home on Long Island for the second day of viewings around 1:45 p.m.
The Democrat governor was at the wake for no less than 10 minutes and was spotted by attendees getting into a clash with a man in a black suit, video shows.
Cops in attendance gave applause to the man as he walked away from Hochul.
Hochul and other New York officials have come under serious scrutiny over the death of Diller.
Prior to the services, Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent J. Vallelong wrote a letter to warn members of the New York City council to not show their faces at the funeral.
“Their presence is more than a distraction. It is a stain on the legacy of a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Vallelong argued, adding that the leaders should feel “morally responsible” for the officer’s killing.
Known as a career criminal, Guy Rivera was charged with murder on Thursday after allegedly shooting Diller in the stomach below his bulletproof vest on Tuesday, after the officer attempted to confront him in his vehicle for parking illegally.
Rivera had an eye-opening 21 prior arrests, mostly for gun and assault charges, according to the New York Post.
Former President Donald Trump attended the wake in Long Island on Thursday, saying that there has to be a change that comes out of Diller’s tragic death.
“I said something has to come out of it, and the only thing that you could really think that could come out of it is we get stronger and tougher so this doesn’t keep happening,” Trump said.
“We have to do a lot of things differently because this is not working,” Trump continued.
“This particular great officer, top of his class — he captured a moment. The perfect family has been so tragically altered, forever altered.”
Trump met with Diller’s wife and met his 1-year-old son, Ryan.
“I was telling Stephanie, the wife, who’s incredible, a 1-year-old baby who doesn’t know that his life has been greatly affected by this,” Trump said from his private plane on the tarmac at MacArthur Airport.
Dillard is survived by his wife and infant son.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts