ST. LOUIS—Prosecutors on Monday morning filed three charges against a man arrested Sunday after authorities say his vehicle struck a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer who later died from his injuries.

What You Need To Know

  • Ramon Arnaldo Chavez-Rodriguez, is charged with DWI resulting in the death of a law enforcement officer or emergency personnel

  • Officer David Lee was working a one-car crash and was putting up traffic cones behind his vehicle when he was struck

  • According to court documents filed Monday, Chavez-Rodriguez was driving 71 miles per hour in a 55 MPH zone before hitting Lee

  • Chavez-Rodriguez’s blood alcohol content tested .10 around two hours after the crash

Ramon Arnaldo Chavez-Rodriguez, is charged with DWI resulting in the death of a law enforcement officer or emergency personnel, a class B felony, along with exceeding the posted speed limit, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. He has a listed address in St. Peters, but according to court documents, police say he does not have legal status in the U.S.

"He killed one of our police officers and I want to see justice served and that’s why we had to wait till today to at least talk about some of the things," explained Tracy during a Monday afternoon update.

Officer David Lee, 44, was working a one-car crash involving an off-duty Ferguson Firefighter Sunday morning at I-70 near Grand Ave. He was putting up traffic cones when the driver lost control of a vehicle and struck Lee. Lee was pronounced dead at Saint Louis University Hospital during surgery.

In a news conference Sunday night, Chief Robert Tracy said the suspect showed signs of impairment when he was taken into custody. According to court documents filed Monday, Chavez-Rodriguez was driving 71 miles per hour in a 55 MPH zone, five seconds before he struck Lee with the rear of his vehicle, pinning the officer against his own vehicle before Lee was thrown several feet.

"We were able establish that he was intoxicated. We didn’t have last evening. We were able to establish that because we got back the blood test, which showed that he was above the legal limit," said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. 

Chavez-Rodriguez’s blood alcohol content tested .10 around two hours after the crash, according to the probable cause statement. The legal limit in Missouri is .08.

Chavez-Rodriguez is being held without bond. Court documents say he has a prior conviction for DWI and is on probation for domestic assault.

Gore said the suspect's immigration status is being handled by their federal partners.

This is a developing story and will be updated