Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Hundreds of law enforcement and public safety officials from Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and across the state attended the memorial service on Monday of slain Cleveland Police Officer Jamieson Ritter, 27, who was gunned down Thursday attempting to arrest a suspect in Cleveland on a Garfield Hts warrant.

Also there were family and friends and some 10 Cleveland council members, some of whom said the memorial was a "sad occasion and indicative of a young life taken too soon."

The motorcade began at Chambers Funeral Home on Rocky River Drive  and ended at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on Superior Avenue.

Hailed as hero, Ritter was described as a principled and compassionate public servant with a strong moral compass who loved his job as a cop.

Police Chief Dorthy "Annie" Todd, the city's first White female police chief,  lauded him as an officer and a gentleman who had “a relentless pursuit of justice.”

Todd joined police officers who prayed and surrounded Ritter’s family, including his parents and siblings. Gov. Mike DeWine and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, the city's fourth Black mayor. also offered their condolences to the Ritter family.

Officer Ritter was among some 10 officers who went to a home on East 80th Place in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood  on the Fourth of of July holiday to arrest De’Lawnte Hardy, who is Black, at about 1 a.m. Thursday. The  Garfield Hts warrant  accuses Hardy, 24, of shooting his grandmother in the face, stealing her gun, and fleeing.

Hardy purportedly fired five shots, with one  hitting Ritter and killing him, according to police reports and authorities. He  fled and was arrested shortly after the shooting. He is charged with aggravated murder in Ritter's death and is being held on a $5 million bond.

The memorial service focused on Ritter’s life. He was a Syracuse University graduate and had moved to Cleveland from suburban Rochester, New York.  He was also a member of the  National Guard and had been deployed to Syria.

Ritter  joined Cleveland police in November of  2020 and worked as a patrolman in the Third District.  Sources said he was respected by his peers in the police department.

A funeral service will be held in suburban New York at a later date, sources said Monday.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.