ST. LOUIS — “I asked him one day, ‘Do you know what mean is? Because I’ve never seen you mean.’”
St. Louis police K-9 Officer Heather Moore remembered her friend and colleague, Officer David Lee, who was killed Sunday morning along eastbound Interstate 70 while responding to a one-car crash near Grand Avenue.
“(We) worked together in district six … on night watch. He was always a great guy. I have not one negative thing I could even think about saying about David Lee. He was always there to give a helping hand to anyone in need,” Moore said.
Lee, an 18-year veteran of the force, was hit by a car at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday while responding to a crash involving an off-duty Ferguson firefighter.
“(He) was in the process of establishing flares and trying to set up some type of system to allow people to know there was an active scene at that location. While he was doing that, (he) got hit by a car,” St. Louis police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said.
During a Sunday night news conference, St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy said the off-duty firefighter risked her own life to help Lee.
“She got on his radio, asking for help. An officer-in-need-of-aid call was dispatched. St. Louis firefighters arrived on the scene and rushed officer Lee to Saint Louis University Hospital,” Tracy said.
The Ferguson Fire Department said the off-duty firefighter provided aid to Lee in the moments after the crash.
Tracy said Lee, 44, was rushed into emergency surgery. Despite efforts to save him, he died at the hospital.
Officers detained the 24-year-old driver of the car that hit Lee at the scene. Tracy said the man showed signs of impairment but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
Lt. Paul Lauer, the commander of the department’s traffic division, said Lee served with the division for four years.
“He was a very quiet person, the nicest guy, would do anything for you,” Lauer said.
Lauer said another officer was responding to assist Lee but hadn’t yet arrived when Lee was hit. Lee quickly arrived at the initial crash because he was assigned to I-70.
The interstate was closed for several hours while an accident reconstruction team pieced together what happened.
“In times like these, I'm reminded of the Gospel of Matthew 4:5 reads, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted tonight,’” said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. “I ask our entire city and our region to be the comfort that the Lee family needs and deserves as their lives are upended by this terrible tragedy.”
After Sunday night’s news conference, Tracy, Jones and Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore laid flowers on a police SUV parked in front of the North Patrol Division on Union Boulevard.
“Every single day, David Lee did what he loved to do. … I saw him about two weeks ago at Central Patrol. … I was so happy to see him because I hadn’t run across him for some time,” said Moore, who also serves as vice president of the Ethical Society of Police, an organization that represents primarily minority police officers.
Lee is survived by his wife, two children, mother and mother-in-law.
“We will be by their side, helping in any way we can as they go through their darkest hours. We're devastated, we're heartbroken, but we will continue to serve a protected city of St Louis and make our fallen colleague proud,” Tracy said. “We’re all going to be mourning the loss for days to come, years to come, after this.”
Tracy said Lee is the 167th St. Louis police officer to die in the line of duty. His family is being assisted by BackStoppers, an organization that provides financial support and assistance to the families of first responders who died in the line of duty.
Funeral arrangements for Lee are pending.