Zach Bryan paid tribute to a fallen New York City police officer during his concert on Saturday.
During his performance of "Jake's Piano/Long Island," the breakout country star acknowledged Long Island native Officer Jonathan Diller, who was tragically shot and killed on Mach 25.
Police reports obtained by Whiskey Riff reveal that Diller approached an illegally parked SUV with a fellow officer last month. After asking the drivers to move the vehicle, the two men inside began to open fire, hitting Diller below his bulletproof vest and fatally wounding him.The 31-year-old is survived by his wife and one-year-old son.
At the concert, Bryan displayed a photo of the officer while he spoke out about his death.
"I got some really bad news this morning. Someone told me there was an officer named Jonathan Diller who passed away," Bryan began. "He was from Long Island, right here. I want to say that this is heartbreaking, and I can't even imagine. So I'm going to try my best to sing this without messing it up."
The "I Remember Everything" singer's music is typically melancholy, lending itself well to the tribute. The lyrics from the song garnered a powerful response from the audience, specifically: "And, Lord, I've been tryin' to smile like you told me / Laugh like the old me, it comes out all wrong / The best parts of you are here, but you're still gone."
"Just know that I respect and love you guys so much. I'm so sorry," he concluded before starting the song.
The tribute comes months after Bryan was arrested in Oklahoma for failing to comply with police orders, ABC reports. In September, Bryan was driving a pickup truck with his private security team driving an SUV alongside him. When the SUV was pulled over for speeding, Bryan got out of his truck to ask the officers "what was taking so long." After being told to get back into his car twice, the singer was told that if he did not comply with police orders, he would be going to jail.
"I'll go to jail right now, let's do it," Bran allegedly responded, leading the officers to put him in handcuffs. While being arrested for obstruction of a law enforcement officer, Bryan told the trooper that "arresting him is 'why people do not like police officers."
Bryan reportedly continued to engage with the officer, stating: "This is the second time this has happened in three days. These f-- cops are out of control." The prior incident involved him refusing to provide an officer with his address, which also landed him in handcuffs.
In a lengthy post on social media following the arrest, Bryan apologized for the incident, stating that he regrets "mouthing off" and acting like an "idiot." He said he prays that "everyone knows I don't think I am above the law."
Following his performance of "Jake's Piano/Long Island" at Saturday's concert, the crowd began to chant "USA USA USA."
"That's for Officer Diller and any cop, any EMS, city first responders. We love the s-- out of you. Seriously. You're so brave."
Zach Bryan has tour dates listed throughout the rest of the year. He returns to Brooklyn in December, with stops in Las Vegas, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Denver, and more coming up.
@zachbryanarchive Zach Bryan dedicated his performance of ‘Jake’s Piano - Long Island’ to fallen officer Jonathan Diller. #ZachBryan ♬ original sound - Zach Bryan Archive
