New details released in State Patrol fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb on I-94
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper with a year and a half of law enforcement experience fired the shots that killed Ricky Cobb II early Monday morning along Interstate 94 in Minneapolis, state investigators said Thursday.
Ryan Londregan was one of three troopers on the scene of the traffic stop at about 2 a.m. He’d pulled up to assist and then to help take Cobb into custody after the troopers learned Cobb was wanted on “probable cause arrest for a felony order-for-protection violation” in Ramsey County, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
In body camera video released by the State Patrol, trooper Brett Seide approaches on the driver’s side and eventually asks Cobb to step out of the car and hand over the car keys, saying he’d explain what’s happening once Cobb stepped out of the vehicle. Seconds later, the troopers open the car doors on both sides and Cobb starts to drive away.
In the video, Londregan, the trooper on the passenger side, appears to fire several shots into the car before falling to the ground as Cobb drives away.
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The troopers chase the car in their squads and pin it to a highway barrier roughly 30 seconds later. They discover Cobb is shot and call for paramedics. Cobb died at the scene, from what the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said were multiple gunshot wounds.
Londregan and Seide suffered minor injuries during the confrontation, the BCA said. Seide has two years of law enforcement experience. Garrett Erickson, the third trooper who responded, has about three years of law enforcement experience and was not injured, the BCA added. The three troopers are on standard administrative leave.
In its statement Thursday, the BCA said that its investigators “found two cartridge casings, a cell phone and handgun, which was on the floor behind the center console in the back of Cobb’s vehicle. At no point on available video is Cobb II seen holding the gun.”
The BCA said the gun found in the vehicle did not belong to the troopers.
Racial justice activists joined with relatives of Cobb on Wednesday in calling for the firing and prosecution of the state troopers involved in the shooting.
The BCA is asking anyone who witnessed or has video of the incident to contact the agency at (877) 996-6222.