An illegal alien is accused of killing St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) Officer David Lee, a 44-year-old husband and father and an 18-year veteran of the force, in a drunk driving crash.

Ramon Arnaldo Chavez-Rodriguez, a 24-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, has been arrested and charged with drunk driving causing a death, exceeding the speed limit, and driving without a license.

On September 22, Chavez-Rodriguez was allegedly speeding when he lost control of his vehicle. At the time, Lee had been responding to a one-car crash alongside the highway when Chavez-Rodriguez’s vehicle struck him and threw him several feet away from the crash, police allege.

Lee was rushed to the St. Louis University Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Police allege that Chavez-Rodriguez’s blood alcohol level was 0.10 percent. The legal limit in Missouri is 0.08 percent.

Lee’s wife, Tonya, told local media, “He was the yin to my yang, my best friend.”

“He was my partner, my other half. One half of my heart and I’m the other half of his heart,” Tonya said. Lee’s son, Khalil, said his dad loved to play basketball and was devoted to his job as a police officer.

“He was somebody who I could talk to about anything. He’s the reason why I chose to go to school for criminal justice and do what I’m doing now,” Khalil said.

Chavez-Rodriguez remains in jail in St. Louis, where he is being held without bail.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here