Trooper killed in Delaware remembered as warm family man

(AP) – A Delaware state trooper killed in the line of duty is being remembered as a family man who was warm and always smiling.

Thirty-two-year-old Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard was a graduate of Delaware State University who graduated from the police academy in 2009.

Delaware State Police Superintendent Col. Nathaniel McQueen Jr. said Thursday that Ballard's actions Wednesday "exemplified the dedication that he brought to the citizens of Delaware on a daily basis."

Lt. Thomas Brackin, the president of the Delaware State Police Troopers Association, said Ballard was a "very dedicated family man" and "very well-liked and respected by those he worked with."

Ballard leaves behind a wife and a 5-year-old stepdaughter, Brackin said.