The ex-con suspected of killing an NYPD cop was so conditioned to crime
that he had a shiv stashed in his rectum that night � anticipating he
might be busted for something, a police source said Tuesday.

Guy Rivera, 34, was in the passenger seat of a Kia Soul around 5:50 p.m.
Monday in Far Rockaway, Queens, when a couple of NYPD �quality-of-life�
cops, including Officer Jonathan Diller, spotted it illegally parked in a
bus stop, the high-ranking source said.

An ensuing confrontation left Diller, a 31-year-old married dad, dead �
allegedly shot through the stomach by Rivera.

Rivera was wounded when the cop�s partner returned fire, and he was taken
to the hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had a homemade shiv � a sharp
razor or smallish knife � hidden in his butt, the source said.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/holding-
confirmation-perp-guy-rivera-
79015734_91b4f2.jpg?resize=709,709&quality=75&strip=all

Ex-con Guy Rivera allegedly had a shiv up his rectum in case he got
arrested and needed it for self-defense in jail.

Cops believe he had the weapon � which was shorter than 4 inches and
therefore not illegal � because he expected he could be arrested for a
crime that day and wanted it for self-defense if he went to jail, the
source said.

It wasn�t clear what kind of crime he might have been allegedly
contemplating.

But the source noted that video from the scene showed him and the Kia�s
driver � Lindy Jones, 41, another hardened career criminal nicknamed
�Killa� � parked in front of a T Mobile store at the time for more than 10
minutes.

How Post Readers Can Help
You can help Officer Jonathan Diller�s 1-year-old son via the Silver
Shield Foundation, which will help fund his future education. Diller, 31,
was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens, leaving behind his
wife, Stephanie, and baby Ryan.

The Silver Shield Foundation was launched in 1982 by late New York Yankees
owner George Steinbrenner for the families of NYPD officers and FDNY
firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty

You can make a contribution at silvershieldfoundation.org/donate or send
it to: Silver Shield Foundation, 870 UN Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY
10017

�It�s possible they were casing somebody or something on that commercial
strip,�� the source said.

Diller was the first to spot the men illegally parked and felt something
was amiss, the source added.

�The cop had very good instincts. We believe they interrupted something,
we just don�t know what,� the source said.

Neither Rivera nor Jones had been charged in Diller�s death as of Tuesday.

Rivera has 21 priors arrests, apparently mainly for drugs and assault.

He last did a five-year prison stint over drugs, was released in 2021 and
went off parole the next year.

Neither he nor Jones have a known gang affiliation, law-enforcement
sources said, although Monday�s gun-down occurred in an area rife with
activity tied to the Gang of Apes.

Jones requested a lawyer and isn�t talking, the high-ranking cop source
said.

He has been arrested at least 14 times, including for robbery, assault and
an attempted murder in 2001 for which he was sentenced to a decade behind
bars, according to authorities, records and law-enforcement sources.

He was most recently arrested last April, when he was nabbed with a loaded
illegal gun on the street, according to court records.

The Queens District Attorney�s Office sought $75,000 bail and electronic
monitoring for the weapons suspect. The judge, Mary Bejarano, agreed on
setting the bail but balked at the monitoring request.

Jones made bail thanks to an insured bond backed by family or friends and
was back on the street weeks later.

He was due back in court in that case April 1.

Jones was accused in 2001 of shooting a man he�d had an earlier dispute
with. He fired three bullets at his target, hitting the guy twice, in his
chest and leg, and leaving him with a collapsed lung, according to court
papers.

Jones then made off with his victim�s neck chain, the documents say.

The victim declined comment to The Post on Tuesday.

Mayor Eric Adams appeared to choke up Tuesday as he warned �it�s the good
guys vs. the bad guys�� out there.

�We have a real recidivism problem with these two individuals,�� Adams
told reporters of Jones and Rivera.

�Bad guys no longer fear the police. They feel emboldened to do whatever
they want.

�The foundation of the public-safety apparatus is dissolving in front of
our eyes,�� Adams said.

�There are a large number of cases being dropped and dismissed � there are
some serious cases they are not prosecuting�� because of deadlines, he
said.

https://nypost.com/2024/03/26/us-news/suspected-cop-killer-stashed-shiv-
in-body-cavity-in-case-he-needed-it-that-night-police-source/