Amid family demands, DPS releases footage of Black motorist's fatal shooting by State Patrol

Newly released video of the fatal shooting of a Black motorist by a Minnesota state trooper following a traffic stop on I-94 in Minneapolis shows the driver repeatedly demanding to know why he was detained before an attempt to physically remove him from the vehicle escalates to gunfire as he drives away.

Ricky Cobb II, 33, of Plymouth died of multiple gunshot wounds in north Minneapolis early Monday morning, shortly after being pulled over for driving without taillights. During the stop, troopers learned that Cobb was wanted for questioning in relation to an alleged "felony-level violation" of a standing domestic order for protection in Ramsey County.

Squad and body camera video unveiled Tuesday reveals that Cobb repeatedly asked why he was asked to step out of his vehicle and resisted instructions to exit.

Footage shows a trooper approaching Cobb's driver's-side window with a flashlight and repeatedly asking him to step out of the car. When pressed on why, the trooper says: "We just have some stuff to talk about. … We'll explain."

"Every time you talk about, 'We need some stuff to talk about,' you're [going to] take me to jail, but for what now?" Cobb asked.

"Hold on, hold on. … No-no-no, I'll call my attorney right now," Cobb continued, while his hands remained visible.

"Is it a warrant?"

"No, it's not a warrant."

As the exchange progresses, the trooper demands Cobb's keys. Eventually, troopers positioned on either side of the car open both front doors and attempt to physically pull him from the vehicle. Cobb moves his arm toward the gear shift, as a trooper lunging into the passenger side fires into his abdomen. The vehicle lurches forward, knocking troopers to the ground.

"I just got [expletive] dragged," one trooper says.

They immediately get up and two troopers give chase on foot as the vehicle rolls away, then return to their squads.

By the time they catch up with it, the car has slowed and drifted to the left side of the northbound lanes. They pull him from the driver's seat at gunpoint and begin to render aid.

"Stay with me," one says.

The interaction — which occurred after the trooper returned from his squad after initially speaking with Cobb — lasted just 80 seconds. At no point during that time is a weapon observed, according to the footage.

Two troopers were treated for minor injuries stemming from the encounter. All three have since been placed on standard administrative leave. They have not yet been named.

A relative later confirmed that the "felony-level violation" referenced in the State Patrol statement involves an active protective order taken out by the mother of Cobb's 5- and 6-year-old children.

Cobb is the latest Black motorist killed by law enforcement in the Twin Cities following high-profile incidents dating several years that drew intense protest, including the shooting deaths of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights and Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.

Amid renewed calls for transparency from Cobb's family, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) released four videos showing different angles of the shooting during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

When pressed by a reporter on why troopers didn't allow Cobb to stay in the vehicle or explain the reason for being detained, Col. Matt Langer, chief of the State Patrol, replied: "They simply asked him to get out of the car — and they had lawful reason to do so."

Langer characterized the shooting as a "tremendously sad situation" for everyone involved and offered his condolences to Cobb's family, who viewed the videos shortly before they were released the public.

"Our goal is for these things to never happen, and so when they do happen, we shift really quickly into why did it happen and is there absolutely anything we can do in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

Hours earlier, friends and relatives gathered outside the St. Paul governor's residence to remember the life of Cobb, a father of five, and decry the loss of another Black man at the hands of law enforcement.

"The worst day of my life was Monday," Cobb's mother, Nyra Fields-Miller, said as tears flowed down her face. "I want justice for my son. I am in complete sorrow."

She was so overcome with emotion that bystanders helped her to the ground as she stepped away from the microphones.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the use-of-force incident — raising questions about how that office can conduct an independent inquiry into another state agency under the DPS umbrella.

DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson defended the BCA Force Investigations Unit's ability to conduct a thorough inquiry that maintains public trust.

"They act independently; they do independent work," he said, noting that those agencies don't train together or maintain regular contact. "This scenario was contemplated. … It will be separate and independent from the Minnesota State Patrol."

The BCA will ultimately report its findings to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who will be tasked with deciding whether the use of force was justified. In a statement released late Tuesday, Moriarty vowed to work as swiftly as possible to provide answers for the community.

"I also know this community continues to navigate the trauma and grief that results from police violence and the tragic loss of our community members at the hands of law enforcement, no matter the circumstances," she said. "I take both police accountability and the integrity of the legal process very seriously."

On Monday night, more than 100 people gathered with Cobb's family and friends to remember him with a group prayer. Danielle Pickett, the mother of Cobb's two older boys, said she thinks his race contributed to police shooting him, and that she saw him being racially profiled over the years.

"We're just leaving fatherless kids out here unnecessarily. These people are fathers; their children need them, too," said Pickett, 35, of Maple Grove. She said Cobb "loved his kids more than anything in life."

Including Cobb, at least 230 people have been killed in encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota since 2000.

Staff writers Paul Walsh and Louis Krauss contributed to this report.