Ricky Cobb Obituary, Death – A Minnesota state policeman shot and killed a Black motorist early Monday morning after he escaped a routine traffic stop on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis, the State Patrol said. Family members identified the driver as 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II of Spring Lake Park, while authorities have not.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed Cobb’s death Monday. The State Patrol said it would disclose body camera and squad car dash-camera footage of the shooting soon. Cobb is the latest Twin Cities Black motorist slain by police after numerous high-profile events that sparked protests, including the shooting murders of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights and Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.
Cobb’s relatives and friends prayed for him on Monday night with around 100 people. Danielle Pickett, Cobb’s mother of two older boys, claimed she saw him being racially targeted and believes his race contributed to police shooting him. It’s unnecessary to leave fatherless kids out here. Maple Grove’s 35-year-old Pickett said fathers are needed by their children.
Cobb “loved his kids more than anything in life.” The State Patrol released its account of the fatal gunshot on westbound I-94 at 42nd Avenue N on Monday afternoon. The statement said state troopers stopped a Ford Fusion with no taillights north of Lowry Avenue after 1:50 a.m. Troopers discovered the driver was “wanted by law enforcement in Ramsey County in connection with a felony-level violation.” (The State Patrol did not specify the offense.)
The motorist refused to exit the vehicle when troopers detained him “statement. “The driver drove away as troopers tried to remove him.” A trooper fired at the motorist, the statement added. Three troopers are now on normal administrative leave. None have been named. How many troopers fired or what prompted the use of deadly force is unknown.
The State Patrol called the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to investigate a “use of force” incident. Cobb was wanted for interrogation for violating a domestic order for protection. A Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the office requested agencies take up and hold Cobb for that felony offense within 72 hours on Friday. The order, which gives police probable cause to detain, expires Monday morning. Kashina Cobb, Cobb’s stepmother, told the Star Tribune she didn’t know the encounter’s details.
