An illegal immigrant killed a Missouri police officer over the weekend while driving drunk in his car, according to St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
The suspect, Ramon A. Chavez Rodriguez, 24, of Honduras, lives “in the local area” of the crash site but was driving without a valid driver's license because he “does not have legal status in the United States.” St. Louis Police Officer David Lee Early Sunday morning, Fox 2 Now.
According to the outlet, at the time of the accident, he was on probation for a second-degree domestic violence charge in St. Charles County in 2020. He also had a DUI charge on his record. KSDK reported:.
St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said at a news conference that Lee was traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 around 8:30 a.m. when he got out of his car and removed a traffic cone from the trunk to move drivers away from a vehicle that had struck him on the shoulder of the road.
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Ramon Chavez Rodriguez, 24, was charged with DUI and domestic violence after he allegedly struck and killed Officer David Lee while driving under the influence. (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department)
According to the indictment, Chavez Rodriguez was driving approximately 20 miles per hour over the speed limit when he lost control of his 2019 Kia Sorento, causing the vehicle to spin out and pinning Lee between the vehicle and a police vehicle, throwing him several feet.
Tracy said the driver of the first car involved in the crash was an off-duty firefighter who risked his own life by rushing from his vehicle to Lee's rescue, grabbing a walkie-talkie and radioing for help.
St. Louis firefighters arrived on the scene and transported Lee to St. Louis University Hospital, but the 44-year-old died on the operating table.
Tracy said Chavez Rodriguez, who was visibly intoxicated, did not flee the scene of the crash and was taken into custody without incident. About two hours after the crash, his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.10 percent.
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Officer David Lee, 44, had served in the St. Louis Police Department's Traffic Division for four years. He is survived by his wife and children. (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department)
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office charged the 24-year-old immigrant with drunk driving resulting in the death of a police officer or emergency responder, exceeding the speed limit and driving on a highway without a valid license.
While Chavez Rodriguez's immigration status doesn't affect his criminal charges, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore told Fox 2 Now, “it does affect our assessment of whether he is a flight risk, whether he poses a danger to the community and whether he is someone who should be released on bail.”
St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch said the Department of Homeland Security “ [Chavez-Rodriguez] Arrested and indicted, [that] He was in this country illegally.”
“The answer is they're not going to issue a detention order. A detention order would tell them to hold him until they can get hold of him. But they weren't going to do that because he was already in the system in 2020.” [his earlier arrest on domestic violence charges] It happened,” McCulloch told Fox 2 Now.
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Lee is survived by his wife and children. He had worked in the St. Louis Police Department's traffic division for the past four years, Tracy said.
“We want to hold this individual accountable,” Tracy said. “We want to make sure he is brought to justice.”
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“This devastating loss is a harsh reminder of the real consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration's refusal to secure our borders,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey told Fox News Digital.
“My heart breaks for the family, friends and colleagues of St. Louis Police Officer David Lee, who was senselessly killed in the line of duty by a drunk driving illegal immigrant,” Bailey said. “We will honor his service by ensuring justice and safety for all.”
“Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration's open border policy, every state, including Missouri, has become a border state,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said in a statement. “Officer Lee's death is tragic and completely preventable. We must act swiftly to close our border and prevent further acts of senseless violence against Americans.”
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Price and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
