Checklist: summarize the DMV shooting timeline, identify the fallen trooper and suspect, report the scene and response, note the family’s loss and the Tunnel to Towers assistance, provide service timing and preserved quoted statements.
The Wilmington, Delaware DMV shooting two days before Christmas left a community shocked and grieving, and new details have slowly come to light. Initial reports were sparse, but investigators and local officials have since filled in much of the timeline and the tragic toll. This article lays out who was involved, what happened inside the DMV, how law enforcement responded, and a hopeful gesture offered to the family. The human cost is central: a veteran trooper is dead and a young daughter and wife were left behind.
At the scene, witnesses and officials described a sudden burst of violence inside a public office where people go for routine business. A Delaware state trooper working overtime was stationed at the reception area when the suspect entered as a customer and opened fire. The chaotic minutes that followed included life-saving instincts, fleeing civilians, and a swift law enforcement reaction outside the building. That combination of heroism and tragedy has dominated how the community has processed the attack.
State Police Cpl. Matthew Snook was working an overtime assignment at the New Castle DMV reception desk on Tuesday afternoon when Rahman Rose entered as a customer, approached him from behind and shot him with a handgun, state police said in a news release.
Rose, 44, of Wilmington, continued firing at the trooper, who pushed a DMV employee out of the way and told them to run, investigators said. Rose then allowed customers to leave but fired multiple rounds at law enforcement as they approached the building.
A New Castle county police officer shot Rose through a window from outside the building. Rose later died at a hospital.
The trooper identified by authorities is State Police Corporal Matthew “Ty” Snook, 34, a decade-long veteran of the force. He was killed in the line of duty while protecting the public, and reports emphasize a clear act of courage: he pushed a DMV employee out of harm’s way and urged others to run. The suspected shooter has been named by police as 44-year-old Rahman Rose. Both Snook and Rose died as a result of the violence, leaving many questions about motive still unanswered.
Snook’s service record and family situation drew immediate attention as the community rallied around his survivors. He leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old daughter, and colleagues described him as a dedicated officer who took extra shift work on a holiday week. The loss of a parent so early in a child’s life is a profound burden, and local groups are mobilizing to support the family in practical ways. That support has included offers from charitable organizations and wider expressions of sympathy from residents and fellow first responders.
Amid the shock, one organization moved quickly to provide direct financial relief to the trooper’s family. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced a commitment to pay off the mortgage on the Snook family home by the end of the year. That kind of targeted assistance is meant to remove an immediate source of stress for survivors and let them focus on mourning and planning memorial services. For many, the action represents a concrete sign that the community will not leave the family to manage alone.
As announced this morning by our Chairman & CEO Frank Siller on Fox & Friends, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay off the mortgage held on the home of Delaware State Trooper Corporal Matthew Snook by New Year’s Day. Corporal Snook died a hero. He is survived by his wife and their one-year-old daughter.
Practical details are beginning to be set around memorial events and official remembrances as the family and department prepare to honor Snook. Services for the fallen officer are scheduled for January 5, 2026, giving colleagues and the public an opportunity to pay respects. In the weeks ahead, investigators will continue to probe motive and the sequence of events, but the immediate priority among local officials remains supporting the family and ensuring safety at similar public facilities. Officials also promised to review security practices at DMV offices and other public-facing locations.
Community reactions have mixed grief and gratitude: grief for a life cut short, and gratitude for the quick response that limited further casualties. Those who were present that day have shared accounts of the trooper’s quick thinking and the chaos that followed. First responders who arrived on scene faced a tense situation that required split-second decisions, and the incident has renewed conversations about public safety, mental health, and the need for vigilance in civic spaces. The town and the department now face the long work of healing and rebuilding trust after the attack.
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