UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Delaware State Police have identified the trooper killed in a shooting at a DMV facility in New Castle County as the investigation continues.
According to officials, Corporal Grade One Matthew T. “Ty” Snook, 34, of Hockessin, Delaware, was “a dedicated 10-year veteran of the Delaware State Police,” on Wednesday afternoon.
His wife and their one-year-old daughter survive him.
According to a statement from state police, Snook was regarded as “a dependable, professional, and committed trooper.”
“A native Delawarean, Ty was a graduate of Saint Mark’s High School and the University of Maryland, where he was a member of the wrestling team. He was a respected colleague, a trusted partner, and a beloved member of both the Delaware State Police and the community he served,”
the statement continued.
The incident took place at the DMV building on Hessler Boulevard in Minquadale on Tuesday at around 2:00 p.m.
A 44-year-old suspect entered the DMV as a customer, according to the police.
Authorities claim that shortly after, Snook was sitting at the reception counter when the suspect approached him and shot him. Snook was there, putting in extra time.
Police claim that after being shot, Snook pulled a DMV employee out of the way as the suspect shot him once again.
“We all got to the floor and we crawled to the side of the building,”
said Vasty Albino Velez, who was inside of the DMV when the active shooter opened fire.
The gunman was subsequently confronted, shot, and killed by a New Castle County police officer.
As people poured over one another to escape, she claimed to have dragged her parents and son to safety.
The superintendent of the Delaware State Police, Colonel William Crotty said,
“We lost a brother, a son, a best friend, a coach, a husband and a father… His last actions were that of a hero, a hero who saved lives today while sacrificing his own.”
As the slain trooper’s body was transported from Christiana Hospital to the Wilmington medical examiner’s office, distraught troopers saluted during a procession.
This looks to be a bullet hole in a window and is captured on camera from inside the building.
Inside, personal belongings were strewn about.
Pre Ricci, whose son is also a member of the Delaware State Police, and other loved ones of the slain trooper have been arriving all morning to lay flowers.
“It’s painful. It’s just painful. You know that they’ll give up their life and that’s what they do,”
she said.
The incident resulted in a number of minor injuries. A 40-year-old lady with minor, non-gunshot injuries was sent to a nearby hospital. After being assessed for dyspnea, a 35-year-old lady declined to be taken to the hospital.
EMS did not transport a second state trooper who was assessed for a minor injury unrelated to a gunshot.
Where was the DMV shooting located in New Castle County?
The DMV firing passed at the installation on Hessler Boulevard in Minquadale, an unincorporated area in New Castle County, Delaware.
Minquadale lies south of Wilmington near U.S. Route 13, causing one of Delaware’s busiest DMV service centers where Corporal Matthew T. Snook was posted at the event office during overtime.
The structure at 2230 Hessler Blvd. saw chaos around 2 p.m. on December 23, 2025, with a pellet hole reported in a window; police secured the scene off Route 13 amid paeans to Snook.
