Jonathan Diller: Trump attends wake of New York policeman shot on duty

Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of a New York City police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Monday.

Officer Jonathan Diller died after the occupant of an illegally parked car opened fire on him.

"We have to stop it. We have to get back to law and order," Mr Trump said outside the Long Island funeral home, after meeting the Diller family.

He has sought to make crime a key issue in his presidential campaign.

Mr Diller's killing, which occurs as a debate over public safety and crime has developed in some major US cities, is the first of a New York City police officer since 2022.

Authorities have charged 34-year-old Guy Rivera with first-degree murder of a police officer.

Mr Rivera is accused of shooting Mr Diller from a car that was illegally stopped at a bus stop. The policeman had tried to order the occupants to get out of the vehicle when he was shot under his bulletproof vest, the New York Police Department said.

Mr Diller later died at hospital, and his death has further ignited the view - particularly among Republican voters - that crime is a growing problem in New York City.

New York Police Department data shows crime has decreased by about 1% over the past two years.

Mr Trump and other Republican figures have regularly accused Democrats of being weak on crime. The former president emphasised this view when he exited Mr Diller's wake flanked by about a dozen police officers.

"We have to do a lot of things differently because this is not working. This is happening too often," Mr Trump told reporters.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who Mr Trump is challenging for the White House, was in New York at the same time as his predecessor. He is attending a large fundraiser on Thursday evening at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. The event was set to feature former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and numerous celebrity guests.

The fundraiser is expected to bring in $25m (£19.8m) for Mr Biden's re-election effort, his campaign said.