PENFIELD, N.Y. — Dozens gathered at the Browncroft Community Church in Penfield on Tuesday night for a candlelit vigil to honor officers who were killed in the line of duty.

One of those honored was Cleveland Police Officer Jamieson Ritter, a Webster native who was shot and killed while trying to arrest a suspect in July. His parents, John and Karen Ritter, were at the ceremony.

“Police officers every day go to work knowing that they may not go home,” father John Ritter said.

“We all are experiencing the same hardship and heartache. It helps us when we’re together to actually be together and support one another, especially during the holidays,” mother Karen Ritter said.

The vigil also honored troopers and police officers who developed health problems after responding to the World Trade Center during 9/11. Onondaga County deputy Michael Hoosock, who was killed in a shootout in April, was also honored.