DELAWARE- U.S. Sen. Chris Coons gave a speech on the Senate floor to honor the life of Delaware State Police Corporal Matthew “Ty” Snook. Cpl. Snook was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, 2025, at the Wilmington Department of Motor Vehicles.
In his remarks, Sen. Coons described Snook as a devoted family man dedicated to serving Delaware.
“I am anxious to begin a life of service, a life of commitment to making Delaware a safer place to live and to work and to raise a family,” Sen. Coons said, quoting words Snook wrote as a cadet late in his police academy training. Sen. Coons said those words “laid out his vision for the life he lived committed to protecting and serving the people of my home state.”
According to police, two days before Christmas, Snook volunteered to work an extra shift at the DMV to earn more money for his wife and young daughter and to protect people rushing to complete errands before the holiday, Sen. Coons said. During that shift, a gunman entered the building from a blind angle and shot and killed Snook, according to Sen. Coons.
His final act, the senator said, was pushing a DMV employee behind him, shielding that person with his own body.
“What makes a hero?” Sen. Coons asked. “Someone whose instinct is protection, someone whose service is about loving others, even when faced with mortal pain and fear.”
The senator spoke about Snook’s family, calling him a father to Letty, a husband to Lauren, a brother to Josh and Kassi, and a son to Matthew and Karen. Sen. Coons says Snook was also a standout athlete, winning a Delaware state wrestling championship before attending the University of Maryland on a Division I wrestling scholarship.
He was known, Sen. Coons said, for mentoring others and celebrating the successes of his teammates. His sister, Kassi, said Ty “always did the right thing,” and his brother, Josh, said, “All I ever wanted was to be more like him.” Josh also serves with the Delaware State Police.
Snook was a field training officer who mentored 20 state troopers, the senator said, reflecting his commitment to future generations of law enforcement. At his memorial service at the University of Delaware, Sen. Coons said about 1,000 people attended, including law enforcement officers from across the country.
One of the most powerful moments of the service, he said, came from Snook’s widow.
“God does not waste suffering,” Lauren Snook told those gathered, urging people to tell loved ones they care about them. “Tell the people you love that you love them,” she said. “Say the words. Make the call. Leave the voicemail.”
Sen. Coons said he and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester have introduced a Senate resolution honoring Snook’s life and bravery to help ensure his legacy endures.
“I hope you know that you succeeded — that you fulfilled your mission and your dream, that you made Delaware safer, that you served with honor,” the senator said, addressing Snook’s memory.
Sen. Coons concluded by quoting the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
He called Snook “a peacemaker, a hero, someone who deserves to be a legend in our national law enforcement community.”