Joseph Bonaminio and his wife, Geraldine, light a candle in memory of their son, Riverside police officer Ryan Bonaminio, during a candlelight vigil Thursday in Riverside. Photo Gallery: Community Mourns For Ryan Bonaminio

Hundreds of families, law enforcement officers and members of the military gathered in the streets around the Riverside Police Department on Thursday night for an emotional candlelight vigil to honor slain Officer Ryan Bonaminio.

The hourlong ceremony was marked by song, prayers, tears and even laughter as Bonaminio's father and friends remembered the officer's constant smile and generous heart. The event was timed with Veterans Day to honor Bonaminio's service in the Army.

The vigil was aimed at thanking Bonaminio's family for the ultimate sacrifice and to offer them comfort, organizer Mary Figueroa said.

It also helped a stunned community deal with its pain. Bonaminio's death "unites the community, even though it hurts," Figueroa said.

Army Sgt. Douglas Spencer, who was in Iraq with Bonaminio, took a leave and flew home to Riverside from Fort Knox, Ky., for Thursday's ceremony. The two had made a pact before they shipped out that they would come home alive and watch each other's backs. Spencer was reeling from news that his buddy had been killed on his native soil.

"I couldn't believe it. I wanted somebody to say it was a joke," said Spencer, a military policeman. It shouldn't have happened to "someone as loyal and respectful" as Bonaminio, he said.

Bonaminio was killed Sunday night after stopping a stolen big-rig cab outside Fairmount Park on Market Street, northwest of downtown. The driver ran into the park and Bonaminio chased after him. The officer likely was ambushed and shot with his own gun, detectives have said.

'DON'T DO THIS'

Bonaminio, who was 2 .5 weeks shy of his 28th birthday, pleaded with the shooter, "Don't do this," police officials said.

A fingerprint found in the truck led to the arrest Tuesday of Earl Ellis Green, 44, of Rubidoux.

He has had numerous felony convictions since 1990, including battery on a police officer and beating his girlfriend.

On Thursday, members of the crowd placed flowers at a memorial honoring fallen officers and signed messages on poster boards bearing Bonaminio's picture. They sang along to a rendition of Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" and stifled sobs.

After the vigil, a sobbing Tanya Kelly handed a sympathy card over the crowd for Bonaminio's mother. Kelly railed against a system and society that would allow a career felon on the streets, and shook her head at the injustice of losing a young man who "did everything right."

"We'll never know what he would have become," said Kelly, 52, of Riverside. "He was so young."

One of the most poignant moments of the evening came from John Enriquez, who met Bonaminio at the police academy in 2006. He was shocked when Bonominio said he wanted to introduce him to his sister, Nicole, who became Enriquez's girlfriend.

He joked that he would never introduce his sister to one of his friends. Then he turned serious.

"She was his best friend. She is his best friend. The fact that he would give that to me is the best thing anyone in the world could give," said Enriquez, a campus police officer at UC Riverside, who then comforted a sobbing Nicole.

Bonaminio's father, Joseph, told the story of how the night of the shooting, he waited for the coroner to finish at the hospital so he could see his son. In the hospital, as he knelt in front of his wife, she said, "Pops, you gotta fix this." He responded, "Tootles, I can't fix this."

But maybe the younger generation can, he told the crowd. Joseph Bonaminio said he hoped the shooting wouldn't discourage young people from pursuing a career in law enforcement or the military, if they are committed.

Afterward, he knelt down, smiling, and helped young children in the crowd light their candles held in paper cups.

His message seemed custom-tailored to people like 15-year-old Saul Rodriguez. The Riverside Police Explorer went on a ride-along with Bonaminio, who was outgoing and a jokester. Saul said the shooting won't deter him from becoming a policeman.

"Something like this scares me. I know about the dangers," he said. "But it encourages me more to get those bad guys off the street."

GRIEF FAR AND WIDE

Community reaction to Bonaminio's death was poignant and widespread, from memorials at Fairmount Park to flags flown at half-staff throughout the region.

Electronic billboards along miles of Inland freeways in Bloomington, Corona and Rancho Cucamonga paid tribute to Bonaminio. Nine of the computer-controlled digital boards owned by Lemarr Advertising went up Wednesday morning with the officer's photo and the message, "Thank you for your service."

Displays are generated at Lemarr's Loma Linda office and are placed in six-second rotations with five other ads. The boards are along interstates 10 and 15 and Highway 91.

They originally were to carry a photo of the shooter asking for the public's help in finding him, but the plan changed to a tribute after the arrest of a suspect Tuesday night, said Randy Straub, Lemarr's vice president and general manager.

"It's a small thing we can do for someone who sacrificed so much," he said.

"It's something easily done and if it makes the family feel a little better, then great."

The shooting prompted Riverside resident Aaron Norris to start a Thanksgiving Thank You campaign for the Police Department. Norris' Facebook page urges readers to send a card or letter to the Police Department as a way of helping in the wake of the shooting.

As the department "lays a co-worker and friend to rest next week," Norris writes, "let's lift them up and remind them they are appreciated, more than they know."