NYC, NYPD and family in mourning after Officer Jonathan Diller is fatally shot at Queens traffic stop

NEW YORK - New York City, the NYPD and the family of Officer Jonathan Diller are in mourning after Diller was shot and killed in the line of duty Monday. 

A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening in Massapequa Park's Brady Park, ahead of his wake and funeral later this week. Diller lived on Long Island with his wife and their 1-year-old child. The community filled with first responders is now grappling with the loss of one of their own. 

The street in Far Rockaway, Queens where the deadly encounter happened reopened Tuesday morning. Detectives remained at the scene, going into businesses and talking with witnesses, continuing their work despite their heavy hearts. 

Watch Naveen Dhaliwal's report

It was a traffic stop that turned deadly for 31-year-old Diller. He was with the NYPD for three years, and worked for the NYPD's Queens Community Response Team. He was gunned down at a traffic stop just before 6 p.m. Monday. 

"They approached the gentleman and asked him to step out," Pastor Douglas Woodhul said. "In three to five seconds, shots were fired. The officer was hit. The perpetrator was on the ground." 

The shooting happened on busy Mott Haven Avenue in Far Rockaway, in front of residents and business owners. Some had to duck for cover.

"The officer was trying to get the guy out of the car, speaking to him more. And then the guy shot him. And then he was able to wrestle the gun out of the guy's hand, and then kicked it away, and then the other officer shot the guy," witness John Cori said. "Bedlam. It was incredible, just like a movie. Horrible to see, and I knew the cop was in bad shape right away." 

Cellphone video obtained by CBS New York shows the chaos after the encounter, with members of the the NYPD rushing to Diller's side, quickly getting him into a vehicle and rushing him to the hospital. The video also shows the suspect who opened fire on Diller on a stretcher after Diller's partner fired back. The video shows Diller's partner distraught and being consoled after the shots were fired. 

"After approaching the car, the suspect inside the vehicle displayed a firearm and pointed it toward the officers. Shots were fired and one of our officers was struck," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said. 

The bullet struck Diller in the torso, just below his bullet-resistant vest. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where a sea of fellow officers hugged and stood together, praying their brother in blue would survive. 

Sadly, hours later, his dignified transfer took place.  

Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of police officers stood silently outside the Massapequa Funeral home as Diller's body arrived, back in his hometown.

"It's heartbreaking. It's one of your own. He was out there doing his job," one Massapequa Resident said.

The community is in mourning, left with heavy hearts.

"I have no words," said Christina Adams, whose brother is a police officer. "It brings tears. I'm shaken up."

"We're here for one another. It's just a big extended family, and our hearts go out for the fellow NYPD family, his extended family. It's a tragic loss," Massapequa Park Mayor Daniel Pearl said.

Watch Jennifer Bisram's report

CBS New York has learned Diller made 70 arrests in his short time with the NYPD, and received several awards, including for excellent police duty. He leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old baby. 

"Parents should never have to bury their children. There's nothing natural about that, and watching his wife as she's just holding on, hoping not to hear those words come back," Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday. 

"I feel terrible for the family. This is a young, married couple with a 1-year-old child. And each of us, when we leave home in the morning, and we say goodbye to our loved ones, it's never our expectation that we aren't going to return home," City Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers said. 

Police said the investigation is ongoing. The two suspects are in custody, including the one who was shot, who is still in the hospital and is expected to survive. Both have over a dozen prior arrests. 

Diller is the first NYPD officer to be killed in the line of duty in just over two years. 

His wake is set for Thursday and Friday at the Massapequa Funeral Home, and the funeral mass is 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa.