BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Western New Yorkers continue to mourn the loss of fallen Buffalo Police officer Craig Lehner, who died during an underwater training exercise.

Hundreds of people came together Thursday night at LaSalle Park to honor his memory during a vigil.

It was organized by a man who know Lehner from their service in the Army National Guard. 

The vigil was originally meant to be a gathering of friends, but once the community saw the Facebook event it garnered a lot of attention. 

"It's homage to the person Craig was that so many people are getting involved because people have heard for the past week now the type of man that he was, how dedicated he was to everything," said Scott Hemperly, Lehner's friend.

Hemperly says to be sure to thank any first responder as another way to honor Lehner's memory.