ST. LOUIS—Family, friends and former co-workers gathered Wednesday morning outside the Civil Courts building to add a new name to the police memorial downtown. Officer David Lee was struck and killed last September while he was working the scene of an unrelated single-vehicle crash on I-70.

Lee, 44, was an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

His younger sister Danielle said he was good at connecting with people, and taught her the value of empathy.

“It’s always been of my favorite traits of my big brother, along with his smile. We are definitely going to miss this caring demeanor, his quiet but authoritative presence but most of all his positive attitude and showing us everything will be ok,” Danielle Williams said.

“What I’ve learned in these last 224 days is that our community loved him for those same reasons. David would be very humbled by all of this but it’s definitely well-deserved,” she said.

“David’s death was senseless and his loss is immeasurable. We are here today to reaffirm our promise to his family, to our community and to the entire St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, that we will never forget him,” Chief Robert Tracy said, adding that the memorial is “a permanent testament that his life mattered, that his sacrifice will never fade from our memory.”

Williams will head for Washington, D.C. next week for National Police Week, where Lee will be recognized as part of events.

Authorities charged Ramon Arnaldo Chavez Rodriguez, the driver of the vehicle that struck Lee, with driving while intoxicated involving the death of a law enforcement officer, speeding, and driving without a license. 

The case is set for trial in late October.