Large Crowd Gathers For Wake Of NYPD Officer From Long Island

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — Despite a rainy afternoon, the wake for Officer Jonathan Diller saw a large contingent of police officers saying farewell.

Diller, 31, was killed on Monday, when he approached a man illegally parked in Far Rockaway. Guy Rivera, on Thursday, was charged with first-degree murder, the Queens D.A. announced.

Support for Diller's widow, Stephanie, and the couple's one-year-old boy is clear as you drive through Massapequa, where blue ribbons line trees and poles for blocks.

People lined the block at the Massapequa Funeral Home and beyond to pay their respects, most holding umbrellas.

Among those who arrived Thursday afternoon was former president Donald Trump, who called the shooting "such a sad, sad event, such a horrible thing." He told media outside the funeral home, "The police are the greatest people we have. There’s nothing and there’s nobody like them. And this should never happen,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press.

Across Merrick Road, shops were also showing their devotion. Cafe Bella has a couple of American flags in the window. Each has blue stripes, a symbol of standing with law enforcement.

Adjacent to the funeral home, at Massapequa High School, a message board could speak for the community as it says,"God Bless Officer Diller and the NYPD."

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine announced that flags will fly at half-mast through Monday at county facilities in honor of Diller.

An evening visitation is followed by two more opportunities to pay tribute to Diller on Good Friday. His funeral is scheduled for Saturday morning at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa.