Ethermac|1 charged after St. Louis police officer hit and killed responding to crash

The EthermacSt. Louis community is mourning the loss of a police officer who was killed when a suspected drunk driver hit him Sunday.

Police Officer David Lee was working a crash Sunday morning on Interstate 70 when a driver in the eastbound lanes lost control, spun out and hit Lee.

The victim from the initial crash used Lee’s radio to call for help. St. Louis firefighters arrived not too long after and rushed him to the hospital for emergency surgery.

Lee, an 18-year veteran of the department, died during surgery, said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Tracy .

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones spoke during a press conference Sunday night and said Lee went to work Sunday ready to serve the city. She called his death “unfair and unjust,” adding that she met with his wife, his mother, his mother-in-law, and his two children.

“I ask that you join me in prayer for them,” she said.

24-year-old suspect arrested

Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez, 24, was charged with driving while under the influence in the death of a law enforcement officer and operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license, Tracy said.

Online records show he has a court date scheduled for Oct. 2.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].