Funeral held for Del. state trooper killed in DMV shooting
A funeral and public viewing for Delaware State Police Corporal Grade One Matthew T. “Ty” Snook, who was killed in the line of duty during a shooting at a DMV on Dec. 23, 2025, was held on Monday.
The public viewing was held for Snook on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the University of Delaware Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.
There was a seemingly endless line of law enforcement vehicles moving south on Interstate 95 to Newark before sunrise on Monday as local residents lined up along South College Avenue.
Dozens of motorcycles led the hearse to the Bob Carpenter Center where troopers carried Corporal Snook’s casket inside with his widow following close behind.
Once inside all of the officers gathered with family members and dignitaries along with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to pay their respects.
Following the public viewing, a pass and review was conducted by all uniformed emergency services personnel in attendance and then a memorial service was held.
New Castle County officers worked extra shifts to handle state police jurisdiction to make sure every trooper could be at the funeral.
A candlelight vigil also took place for Snook on Monday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Hockessin PAL Center in Hockessin, Delaware.
NBC10 was at the event and you can watch the speakers’ remarks below:
Snook was a 10-year veteran of the force who was shot while working an overtime assignment at the Karen L. Johnson Division of Motor Vehicles on Hessler Boulevard in New Castle County.
A 44-year-old man who initially entered the DMV as a customer later approached Snook at the reception desk, pulled out a gun and shot him, police said. The shooter was also shot and killed by by a police officer who responded to the scene.
Snook was a native Delawarean and a graduate of Saint Mark’s High School and the University of Maryland, where he was a member of the wrestling team.
He is survived by his wife, Lauren Snook, and their 1-year-old daughter, who have received an outpouring of support since the tragedy.
Barstool Sports has set up a shirt sale and fundraiser for Snook’s family where founder Dave Portnoy will match every dollar raised.
Help a Hero has set up a fundraiser for Snook’s family as well and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was formed after the 9/11 attacks, has informed Lauren they are paying off her mortgage.
“She is holding up as best she can. She has a 1-year-old daughter, a husband who was out there working overtime when he was saving the DMV worker,” said John Huvane of the Tunnel for Towers foundation. “Pushing them out of the way, and that’s when he lost his life, and you understand the kind of individual he was.
In addition to financial support, members of the community are offering Snook’s family with emotional support.
Louise Cummings, who lost her husband, Stephen Ballard, after he was killed in the line of duty as a Delaware State Trooper in 2017, said she has told Lauren Snook she is ready to talk at any time.
“I think the best piece of advice is you have to allow yourself to go through the pain. It’s one of those things now, eight years in, I’ve learned there are competing emotions and that’s just how my life is going to be for the rest of my life,” Cummings said. “There’s joy and sadness, there’s frustration and excitement.”
