Corporal Grade One Matthew Tyler "Ty" Snook, a 34-year-old male, was a dedicated ten-year veteran of the Delaware State Police who lost his life in the line of duty on December 23, 2025. A native of Hockessin, Delaware, and a former wrestler at the University of Maryland, he was working an overtime assignment at the Division of Motor Vehicles facility on Hessler Boulevard near New Castle when the incident occurred.
Around 2:00 p.m., while manning the reception desk, he was ambushed by a gunman who entered the building and approached him from behind.
The assailant, identified as 44-year-old Rahman Rose of Wilmington, opened fire on Corporal Snook without warning. Despite sustaining critical injuries in the initial volley, the trooper managed to push a civilian employee out of the line of fire, an act of heroism credited with saving the worker's life. The gunman continued to fire, striking Snook again before allowing customers to flee the building. He then remained inside the facility, waiting for law enforcement to arrive, and subsequently engaged responding officers in a shootout.
A New Castle County police officer returned fire, striking Rose and ending the confrontation. Both the corporal and the suspect were transported to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, but neither survived their wounds. Because the perpetrator died in medical care shortly after the shooting, there were no arrests, trials, or convictions associated with the case. The investigation revealed that Rose had no apparent prior criminal record in Delaware but had lived in other states, though a clear motive for the targeted attack was not immediately established by authorities. Corporal Snook is survived by his wife and their one-year-old daughter.
