The Minnesota state trooper who fatally shot a Black motorist during a traffic stop Monday on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis is a rookie with less than two years of law enforcement experience.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Ryan Londregan fired his department-issued handgun during an encounter with Ricky Cobb II after troopers stopped him about 1:50 a.m. near Dowling Avenue N. for driving without taillights.
Londregan and trooper Brett Seide attempted to pull Cobb from his vehicle after learning he was wanted for questioning in relation to an alleged felony-level violation of a standing domestic order for protection in Ramsey County.
Seide opened the driver's side door and Londregan opened the passenger side door in an attempt to get Cobb to exit the vehicle. Video released Tuesday showed a trooper identified as Londregan shouting "Get out of the car now!" before firing multiple shots. The car lurched forward, knocking down both troopers, footage from squad's dashcam and troopers' body-worn cameras showed.
Seide did not fire his weapon, the BCA said.
Londregan and Seide were injured as Cobb pulled away. A third trooper identified by the BCA as Garrett Erickson was also on the scene. The BCA is leading the investigation into the incident.
The state agency will eventually report its findings to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who will be tasked with deciding whether lethal force was justified.
Londregan and Seide caught up to Cobb's vehicle at 42nd Avenue N., where he had struck a concrete median after leaving the scene of the traffic stop. The troopers tried to resuscitate Cobb, the BCA said.