The family of Ricky Cobb II has filed a complaint with the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board), against the state trooper who shot him during a traffic stop last July, killing him.
The complaint, filed by Cobb’s mother Nyra Fields-Miller, accuses state troopers of not de-escalating the situation and accuses the trooper who shot and killed Cobb, Ryan Londregan, of using deadly force that does not comply with state law. It says the troopers were not in the path of Cobb’s vehicle, which moved forward around the same time Londregan shot Cobb. Cobb was also not armed at the time of the shooting, though officers did recover a gun from the back seat of his car.
“He didn’t read him his rights. He didn’t protect or serve. He made demands. He escalated the situation. And then he killed him, even though he wasn’t a threat to anyone. And none of the other officers did anything to stop it,” said former South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers, who along with Harry Daniels and F. Clayton Tyler are representing Cobb’s family.
Cobb was pulled over in the early morning hours of July 31, 2023, for a taillight that was not on. Troopers at the scene asked Cobb to step out of his vehicle to discuss a hold-for-questioning that was issued for a violation of an order for protection. He refused, stating he wanted to discuss the hold-for-questioning with his lawyer.
As troopers attempted to wrestle Cobb out of the vehicle, Londregan fired several shots at Cobb. Cobb ultimately died. Londregan remains on paid leave since the shooting occurred, according to the State Patrol.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is housed with the State Patrol under the state Department of Public Safety, turned over its investigation to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in September 2023. They have yet to render a charging decision.
“It’s been six months since that trooper killed my son. But it might as well have been six minutes because the pain doesn’t go away,” said Cobb’s mother.
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