Draft:Killing of Ricky Cobb

On July 31, 2023, Ricky T. Cobb II was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Initial reports stated that Cobb was pulled over because his taillights were not visible at 2 A.M. on Interstate 94. At some point during the stop, Minnesota state troopers attempted to remove Cobb from his vehicle due to an outstanding warrant issued in Ramsey County for violating an order of protection. According to the police statements, rather than exit the vehicle, Cobb pulled away. As he did, the trooper on the passenger side of the vehicle fired several shots into the open door. After a chase down I-94 that lasted approximately 30 seconds, the troopers boxed Cobb's vehicle in near the 42nd Avenue bridge.

The Minnesota State Patrol did not immediately identify the troopers involved. Instead, the MN Police and Peace Officers Association issued a statement asking the public to allow the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to conduct their investigation. On August 2, 2023, the BCA announced the names of the Troopers involved: Ryan Londregan, who fired the shots that killed Cobb; Brett Seide, who had attempted to remove Cobb from the driver's side of the vehicle; and Garrett Erickson, who had the most experience of the three officers on scene at approximately three years.

When asked about the incident at a press conference during which the footage from both the patrol cars and the body-worn cameras were shown, Colonel Matt Langer, head of the State Patrol, stated, "This very clearly meets the threshold of the use of deadly force. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty disagreed, stating, “As with all Minnesota law enforcement officers, state troopers may only use deadly force when it is necessary to protect a person from a specific identified threat of great bodily harm or death that was reasonably likely to occur. That did not exist in this case.”

Londregan was charged with second degree unintentional murder, first degree assault, and second degree manslaughter. The first hearing in the case was held on January 29, 2024 during which the presiding judge ordered that he can remain free without having to pay bail. The only restrictions placed on him were to surrender his passport and not to contact witnesses or any of Cobb's family. Londregan is on paid leave while an Internal Affairs investigation is ongoing.