The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) held a ceremony on Friday to remember fallen Officer Sean Collier, who was allegedly killed by the men responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings days after the attacks, WCVB-TV reported.

Collier, 26, was fatally shot by suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as they tried to steal his weapon and flee the city on April 18, 2013.

"I've been a member of law enforcement for more than 40 years, and Sean was as good as I have ever seen, and probably better than most," MIT Police Chief John DiFava said.

He added the support of the community and the university has helped the MIT Police Department cope with Collier's death.

"This is a tough day for us. We, the MIT police, lost an officer; the MIT community lost a member -- a contributing member, an important member and someone who is going to be real hard to replace," DiFava said.

Days earlier on April 15, 2013, three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured in the marathon attacks. Hours after the FBI released surveillance photos and videos of the brothers, Collier was killed.

Collier was a graduate of Salem State University and worked at the Somerville Police Department before going to MIT.

Friends and family created Team Collier Strong -- a 25-member group that will run in the marathon to raise money for a scholarship in his memory.

"This is tough. I said it before, and I'll say it again: If my daughter ever walked home with somebody like him, then I did a pretty good job as a father," DiFava said.