Photo courtesy of vigil organizer Khloe Evett.

OGDENSBURG — Many Ogdensburg residents came together to hold a vigil for Bryson Jenks who was stabbed to death on Patterson Street recently by a parolee with a violent past.

Jenks’ death sent a shockwave through the community as he was just 19 years old.

At the vigil members of the community gathered and lit candles in his memory, those who knew him shared stories, others attended as a means of helping the community heal.

A small memorial was also constructed at Hamilton Park.

Ogdensburg has been reeling with loss of the community members as well. Another community vigil was held just weeks before.

It was organized by Khloe Evett.

“Bryson was a sweet boy. He would give the shirt off of his back to anyone. He always searched for the best in people and was the most polite kid you ever could have met! His passing was a tragic loss to the whole community! He will be greatly missed and I can only pray he is at peace now with his mother and all my condolences go out to his family and friends. He deserved all the love that was shown to him at the vigil and I hope it brought some closure to people as a way to say goodbye,” she said.

At a recent council meeting Margaret Haggerty spoke about various problems in the city including a perceived increase in violence. She called on the community to come together and asked officials to assist.

“Where is our leadership in all this chaos?” She asked.

Haggerty is a member of the Ogdensburg community group Stronger Together, which supports emergency services in the area and performs community advocacy.

She did not organize the event, but in a recent social media post she offered appreciation for those who attended.

“Ogdensburg, we’ve experienced so much challenge over the past few years, moreso in the past few months. Please accept my sincere condolences on the recent and remote deaths that prompted a meaningful vigil last week. Even people who didn’t know the ones held in memorial showed up for them and each other. We are Ogdensburg Strong,” she said

Jenks was born on December 8, 2003 in Eureka, MO.

He attended Ogdensburg Free Academy and worked as an assembler at Ansen Corporation of Ogdensburg, according to his obituary.

He is said to have enjoyed listening to music, playing chess, and watching sports.

Officials say Jenks was stabbed and killed early Aug. 10.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua says Kenneth Durham, 44, faces multiple charges, including murder, for the crime.

Durham remains held without bail.

The incident remains under investigation and could not comment on details related to possible motive at this time.

Durham, who is also a level 3 felony sex offender, served more than 10 years of a 15-year prison sentence, followed by five years of post release supervision.

Durham was recently released from prison and is currently on parole following a sentence for first-degree attempted assault.

It’s unclear at this time if there were any outstanding warrants or parole violations at the time of the murder.

However, he had an Ankle monitor which he is alleged to have removed after the murder.

It’s unclear at this time if Durham was in violation of a curfew at the time of the alleged crime, but curfews are often imposed on parolees.

Durham is being supervised by the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Court documents show Durham was charged in 2011 on an indictment with various crimes after an infant under his care sustained serious injuries, including brain damage.

In a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to attempted assault in the first-degree and waived his right to appeal both orally and in writing, and was sentenced as a second felony offender to 15 years in prison.