Trump to attend wake for fallen NYPD officer as he ramps up rhetoric on crime

Trump to attend wake for fallen NYPD officer as he ramps up rhetoric on crime

Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend the wake for New York Police Officer Jonathan Diller on Thursday.

Diller was killed Monday when he was shot in Queens after he approached an illegally parked vehicle.

New York police spokesperson Tarik Sheppard said the officers were expecting Trump at the wake in Massapequa on Long Island.

Trump previously posted on Truth Social that his “heartfelt prayers go out to the family” of Diller, adding that Diller’s “life was taken by a murderous career criminal.”

“To Officer Diller’s family, and all of the other brave men and women of law enforcement who put your lives on the line every day, we love you, we appreciate you, and we will always stand with you!” Trump said in his post.

Trump was already in New York, and he attended a hearing Monday in the hush money case against him. He has not held a major campaign event since March 16.

“President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death,” Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday.

Trump has often railed against crime rates in New York City, and he has falsely asserted that the city’s violent crime rate “hit unimaginable records.” The rate of major crimes is down by more than 20% since 2001, according to police crime data.

In his rhetoric about crime, Trump has often blamed his likely opponent in November, President Joe Biden. Biden will also be in New York on Thursday for a major campaign fundraising event alongside former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

New York Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban this week mourned Diller on X, saying that “this city lost a hero, a wife lost her husband, and a young child lost their father.”

“We struggle to find the words to express the tragedy of losing one of our own,” Caban said in the post. “The work that Police Officer Jonathan Diller did each day to make this city a safer place will NEVER be forgotten.”

Diller received a dignified transfer Tuesday, looked on by New York police officers paying their respects.

The last time a New York City officer died in the line of duty was in January 2022, when Detectives Wilbert Mora, 27, and Jason Rivera, 22, were killed responding to a 911 call in Harlem.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com