PITTSBURGH -- The family and friends of Justin Jackson gathered Thursday night to hold a candlelight vigil and leave remembrances of him on Arlington Avenue in Mount Oliver.

"We love him. I mean he had a lot of loved ones and we just want him to never be forgotten,” said the young man’s father, Donald Jackson.

Tuesday night, a Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed 19-year-old Jackson after he allegedly pulled a gun and fatally shot a police K-9 dog that had been released to subdue him on Arlington Avenue.

Police said they were responding to a call of shots fired when they saw Jackson, whom they thought had a gun. When they told him to show his hands, he pulled the weapon from under his shirt, police said.

"He did not deserve to die like this,” said Will Washington, Jackson’s cousin. “There were other things they could have done and he did not deserve this."

Yet Thursday night's vigil was not about anger. It was about wanting to share how they'd remember Jackson.

As parents and others dealt with their pain, they were comforted by the many condolences they've received. They believe the community will come together, and strive to find a way to prevent future violence.

“When a community comes together like this, it always brings peace and hope,” said Donald Jackson. “As a family and as a community, friends, you need that. And this is definitely a beginning, definitely a beginning.”

Funeral services will be held for Justin Jackson next week.

Police are holding a memorial service for Aulf the police dog on Saturday.