Funeral Set For Slain Delaware Officer

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- Gov. Jack Markell will be among the mourners at a service for a New Castle County police officer who was fatally stabbed last week.

Hundreds of mourners were expected at the service for officer Joseph Szczerba at the Chase Center in Wilmington on Friday.

Officials warned that the funeral procession to and from the Chase Center will result in traffic disruptions throughout the area.

The 44-year-old Szczerba, an 18-year veteran of the police force, was stabbed last Friday after confronting and chasing a suspect in a vehicle break-in.

Thirty-two-year-old David Salasky, a Wilmington man with a long criminal history, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for Monday.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)