Delaware law enforcement, governor, community mourn loss of trooper in fatal shooting

WILMINGTON, Del. (OSV News) — The Delaware State Police are mourning the Dec. 23 fatal shooting of a 10-year veteran of the force who was an alum of a Catholic high school in the Wilmington Diocese and a standout wrestler in high school and college.

Cpl. Grade 1 Matthew T. “Ty” Snook, 34, a St. Mark’s High School graduate from Hockessin, was working an overtime assignment at a Division of Motor Vehicles facility outside of Wilmington when a male customer opened fire on Snook the afternoon before Christmas Eve, ABC News and Delaware Online, a daily digital news outlet, reported.

Delaware State Police spokesperson Cpl. Raushan Rich told Delaware Online that the man approached the desk and shot Snook, who “managed to push a DMV employee out of harm’s way.”

He was sitting at a desk and was allegedly shot from behind by the customer with a handgun, according to Delaware State Police. A responding police officer shot and killed the suspected shooter, later identified as 44-year-old Rahman Rose of Wilmington.

Snook, who is survived by his wife and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, was “a dedicated Delaware State Trooper whose courage and commitment to protecting others was evident every day he put on his uniform. He was also a husband and a father,” Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said in a statement.

“In his final moments, he showed the kind of bravery most of us can only imagine, reflecting the highest values of service,” Meyer said. “As we hold his wife, his little girl, the law-enforcement community, and all who loved him close in our hearts, may we honor Ty’s legacy by striving to build a world worthy of the sacrifice he made.” 

On Dec. 24, as a procession of Delaware State Police troopers, Wilmington police officers and local firefighters escorted Snook’s body from the state medical examiner’s office in Wilmington to a funeral home, members of the community lined roadways, stood in silence and displayed messages of gratitude and support.

“The outpouring of support shown today serves as a powerful reminder that Cpl/1 Snook’s service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Col. William D. Crotty, superintendent of the Delaware State Police, said in a statement.

“On behalf of the Delaware State Police, I thank the public and our law enforcement partners for standing with Ty’s family and with our agency during this heartbreaking time,” Crotty added. “We continue to ask for prayers for his wife, his daughter and the entire family.”

Secretary Joshua Bushweller of Delaware’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security called the loss of Snook “a devastating time for Ty’s family, for the men and women of the Delaware State Police, and for our entire law enforcement family across the state.”

“Snook made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of Delaware — answering a call to protect others, never knowing it would be his last,” Bushweller added. “His courage, commitment, and selflessness will never be forgotten. We ask all Delawareans to keep Ty’s family, friends, and fellow troopers in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”

Snook was hired on March 6, 2015, as a member of the 88th Delaware State Police recruit class. He was assigned to Troop 6 at Prices Corner in New Castle County, where he was known as “a dependable, professional and committed trooper.”

A native Delawarean, Snook was a 2009 graduate of St. Mark’s High School and a graduate of the University of Maryland. He won a Delaware state wrestling championship  in 2009 and was a member of the wrestling team at Maryland.

The Dialog is the news outlet of the Diocese of Wilmington.

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