Source: CBS / CBS
The fight to get justice for 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II has continued as attorneys for the family of the slain Black man have filed a complaint with the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training about the events that led to his untimely death.
Cobb’s family is represented by nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Bakari Sellers and Harry Daniels as well as F. Clayton Tyler.
On July 31, 2023, 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II was pulled over by state troopers on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis.
During the traffic stop, officers tried to arrest Cobb and take him into custody for allegedly violating a restraining order. As they tried to take him out of his vehicle, Cobb began to drive away and he was shot and killed by Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan.
Dash camera and body-worn camera video of the incident, which was released by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MDPS), showed Cobb was pulled over for not having his rear lights on and, while three officers responded to the initial incident, Londregan was the only one to discharge his firearm. According to the family attorneys, MDPS has said that “At no point on available video” is Cobb holding a gun.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) also submitted its findings to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in September.
In August, the family as well as activists demanded that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charge the officers involved in the death of Ricky Cobb.
“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 Nyra Fields-Miller. “But we can’t forget because, if we do, it will happen to anyone else.”
Attorney Baraki Sellers echoed Fields-Miller’s sentiment, saying “Let’s be clear. This wasn’t a tragedy. It was a crime. Ryan Londregan pulled Ricky Cobb II over for not having his rear lights on. But he didn’t write him a ticket. 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. This is exactly why the Minnesota Board of Police Officer Standards and Training exists. We’re just asking them to do their jobs.”
In May, the Board of Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) put new changes in place that will allow the board to revoke the license of an officer for violating its conduct guidelines without being charged or convicted of a crime.
The rule was put in place after Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd.
SEE ALSO:
Minnesota Cops Who Killed Black Man During Traffic Stop ’Acted Recklessly,’ Lawyer Says
Ohio Cop Fired After Releasing Dog On Black Man Who Had His Hands Up After Trooper Told Him Not To
