Delaware officials praised a state trooper for his bravery after a gunman shot him at a Wilmington DMV on Tuesday.
The attack began around 2 p.m. when a 44-year-old man entered the office. The trooper, working an overtime shift at the reception desk, shoved an employee out of the way and was shot twice. He later died at a local hospital.
Law enforcement responded immediately. A New Castle police officer confronted the shooter and fatally shot him during the encounter.
Joshua Bushweller, secretary of the state Safety and Homeland Security Department, said the incident shows that troopers face danger even in routine assignments. He added, “Two days before Christmas, we lost a hero, a dedicated member of the Delaware State Police family, who woke up, put on his uniform, and went to work to serve the people of our state.”
Two other people suffered injuries, though not from gunfire. Another state trooper and a 40-year-old woman went to the hospital for treatment.
Governor Matt Meyer called the fallen trooper a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice. “What happened today was an act of pure evil,” he said. “If not for the heroism of several troopers and other officers, the consequences could have been much worse.”
