Ricky Cobb's family speaks out at governor's mansion after state trooper shoots, kills 33-year-old

Family decries state trooper's fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II

MINNEAPOLIS -- The family of a man shot and killed by a state trooper spoke out to the public Tuesday afternoon. This comes as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues to investigate the death of 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II.

Relatives, community leaders and other demonstrators went to the governor's mansion in St. Paul Tuesday to speak out about the fatal shooting.

The Minnesota State Patrol made no mention of Cobb being armed in a news release Monday. It's still unclear when and why the trooper fired their weapon during the interaction.

What we do know is that troopers pulled over a car with no tail lights near Lowry Avenue in north Minneapolis early Monday morning. They say the driver, Cobb, was wanted by Ramsey County law enforcement for violating a no-contact order in a domestic case.

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When troopers attempted to make an arrest, they say Cobb refused to get out of the vehicle and instead drove away. Traffic cameras show troopers running on foot after the Fusion. That's when a trooper opened fire.

In dispatch audio, a trooper can be heard saying that the driver had been shot in the abdomen three times. Life-saving measures were provided until medical services arrived, but Cobb later died.

"This is definitely gonna be a hard time for our family, his twin brother...his kids, you know, my mom," said Octavia Ruffin, Cobb's sister.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation, and tells WCCO they won't have any statement until their initial investigation is done.  

Three troopers have been put on administrative leave, and they have yet to be identified.

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