Update on the Murder of Officer Joe Szczerba

Over the weekend, a number of you commented about how strange it was that no details had been released about the apprehended suspect in this case. No name. No booking picture. No information about indictment or arraignment. It definitely appeared strange, if not improper, for even if this monster is undoubtedly guilty and deserving of severe punishment, we still have due process of law and constitutional protections and criminal procedures that must be followed lest this animal get acquitted on a technicality.

It would appear that the delay was attributed to the suspect receiving medical treatment.

David Salasky, 32, of the 1600 block of N. Rodney St., was charged after being released from Christiana Hospital Sunday morning, Cpl. John Weglarz Sr. said. Salasky has been in custody since Szczerba was killed in the Penn Acres neighborhood early Friday. Salasky had been receiving hospital treatment for a medical condition not related to his arrest, Weglarz said.

That is interesting. Treatment for something unrelated that lasted several days. That leads me to believe that they were waiting for medication to kick in, which leads me to believe we are dealing with a non-physical ailment, which harkens back to my first thought when reading about all of this Friday: that the suspect sounded crazy, because who stabbs someone to death anymore?

Salasky is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and is now a guest at the Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington. But while we finally know some details as to the suspect, the probable-cause affidavit for Salasky’s arrest has been sealed and not available for public review, according to a court employee.

Why would the affidavit be sealed? Salasky is no minor. Is there something in Salasky’s background that warrants this? A mental condition, perhaps?

The comments of a Penn Acres man who first confronted Salasky worries me further:

Kevin Byrd heard a car door slam outside his Penn Acres home. […] at about 11:50 p.m. When he looked outside, he saw the man and a light flickering from inside.
Dressed only in underwear, socks and a tank top, he bolted out the door. […] The man was out of Byrd’s car by the time Byrd got outside.

“I asked him what he was doing in my car,” Byrd said. “He looked impaired, kind of jittery and said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.’ ”

Byrd’s wife called 911 at 11:52. Byrd said the officers arrived several minutes later, after Byrd had already confronted the man.

He said the man appeared to be in his mid-20s to early 30s and was a few inches shorter than Byrd, who is 5 feet 11, with a medium build. He had a goatee and was wearing denim shorts, a red shirt, an unzipped dark-colored hoodie and had a baseball cap on backward.

“His eyes were bugged out and he acted jittery,” Byrd said. “He definitely seemed kind of amped.”

The man then ran down the sidewalk toward East Roosevelt Avenue, ducked into a yard on Byrd’s street and hid under a tree.

“He said, ‘Get away from me. I’ll stab you. I’ll stab you. I’ll stab you,’ ” Byrd said.

Byrd is soft-spoken with a gentle demeanor, but he grew up in the tough William Penn housing project in Chester, Pa. He wasn’t fazed by the threat.

“I’ve seen it all,” Byrd said. “I said, ‘You can stab me if you want, but you’re going to give me my wallet back.’ ”

The man then swung at him. Byrd has a 3-inch cut on his left forearm. Because it was dark and his adrenaline was flowing, Byrd said he doesn’t know for sure if he was stabbed or simply punched.

Byrd then landed a hard right-hand punch to the man’s stomach. The man briefly buckled over and tried to run from the yard, but he was trapped by a high fence.

“He said, ‘My issue’s not with you, my issue’s not with you,’ ” Byrd said.

Byrd asked for his wallet again and the man threw a folding knife with about a 5-inch blade, a cellphone and a pack of L&M cigarettes onto the ground. Still looking for his wallet, Byrd patted the man down and searched his pockets.

Byrd told the man to leave and to never return to the neighborhood. “He was waving his hands in front of his face, saying ‘OK, OK, OK,’ ” Byrd said. “We walked to the sidewalk and I walked one way to my house and he walked the other toward Roosevelt,” Byrd said.

Yeah, it certainly sounds like something is up with Salasky. Whether he was just high, or mentally impaired, I don’t know. But the public has a right to know all the details.