PENFIELD, N.Y. — Friends, family and law enforcement officers paid their respects Saturday to Cleveland Police Officer Jamieson Ritter, a Webster native and McQuaid Jesuit graduate killed in the line of duty July 4 in Cleveland.

“His presence alone changed the entire dynamic of the roll-call room,” said Sgt. Kelly Smith, who was among those who trained Ritter at the police academy, during the service at Browncroft Community Church in Penfield. “Jamieson possessed one of the most important qualities that somebody can have – humility. He had a servant’s heart and operated the way he did because of who he was as a person, how he was raised, his values, his life experience in the military. He was a great officer because he was a great person.”

Jack Schwab, a friend of Ritter’s, said during the service, “The city of Cleveland is devastated. You served the community selflessly and in your own way. You actually cared about the people of Cleveland, and not just catching the bad guys. Citizens came out of their homes crying, telling stories about you saving their lives – from overdosing, from drowning, from being shot. … I know you didn’t like to brag – I know you wouldn’t even want all this attention – but everyone here loves you, and this is how we have to deal with it.”

Prior to the service, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd spoke about the large contingents of law officers from multiple departments present at the funeral.

“I can’t tell you how it really warms your heart, for the lack of better words, to see that we are a law enforcement family — and unfortunately we have to come together in this tragic situation, but we do come out to support each other, to make sure that those fallen members feel honored,” Todd said.

Todd said Ritter was with the Cleveland Police for four years, working in the patrol section and actively involved in community engagement.

“He was well loved by all of those he came across,” she said. “The community and Cleveland came out after this tragedy and told stories about him — the lives he had saved, the difference he had made in the community. And it’s a tragic loss for all of us.”

Ritter, 27, was raised in Webster and graduated from McQuaid Jesuit. He served in Syracuse University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps before joining the Cleveland Police Department and Ohio National Guard. He was deployed to Syria for a time before coming back to Ohio and working as a police officer.

Ritter was the son of Jon Ritter, who retired from the Greece Police Department. He was credited with helping saving lives during the Christmas Eve 2012 ambush in West Webster.

Delawnte Hardy is accused of killing Ritter. He has been indicted by a grand jury on several charges relating to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, having weapons while under disability, and more.