Ruel Cotto had a lot of people who loved him.

Those loved ones — family, friends and even clergy—came together in mourning at dusk Wednesday on the Scajaquada bike path at the place where Ruel’s lifeless body was discovered Saturday morning, the victim of a gunshot wound at age 17.

Dozens signed placards to Ruel expressing their love and grief, brought candles, flowers, balloons and teddy bears. They said prayers, sang songs and told stories about him. And they agreed the violence that took Ruel from them must be stopped once and for all.

“Learn from one another’s mistakes,” said Shatika T. Feaster, copastor of New Life Ministry of Christ on Bailey Avenue with her husband, Apostle Elijah Feaster, a family friend who led the vigil. “Care about life. Don’t try to hurt each other over money and material things. . . . Stop trying to take things on your own. This is not a joke. You can’t get a new life,” she said. “All these drugs, all this violence, this has got to stop.”

Buffalo homicide detectives say they have few leads in the case and encourage anyone with information to contact them at 847-2255. Ruel was the city’s 52nd homicide victim out of 53 in 2009.

Police records indicate Ruel had been arrested three separate times in the last 18 months for allegedly possessing a loaded firearm, all felonies. The disposition of the cases was not known, but in each case, he was at some point released from custody.

A photo of a Ruel, at age 8, was affixed to a poster at the vigil site. Graced in the picture with the carefree smile of a child — Ruel was always a child of God, said Elijah Feaster, a family friend who led the service.

“His life served the purpose God had for him,” said the clergyman. “In times like these, we need to come together and put our differences aside. We need to show love, even to those who are responsible [for Ruel’s death]. He will be mourned, but not forgotten.”

Ruel’s mother, Latanya Cotto, said her son was “humble and intelligent.” He was a graduate of Hopevale School, she said, and aspired to play basketball. Ruel is survived by three brothers.

She said she doesn’t know what happened that led to Ruel’s death. He was last seen by his grandmother leaving the house earlier in the afternoon the previous day, she said.

Family members grieved Ruel’s loss and offered cautionary words to other parents.

“We have to grab a hold of our babies because we’re losing them. The people out here are trying to take them away forever,” said Talmadge Wilson, Ruel’s uncle. “Hold them and never let them go.”