Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday said he is confident in the Minnesota BCA's ability to independently investigate a Minnesota State Patrol shooting that left Ricky Cobb II dead on July 31.
That shooting took place in the early morning hours on Interstate 94 near Lowry Avenue. A Minnesota state trooper identified as Ryan Londregan fatally shot Cobb as Londregan and two other troopers, Brett Seide and Garrett Erickson, attempted to pull Cobb from his vehicle during traffic stop.
The gunfire erupted as Cobb attempted to drive away. During that time, Londregan and Seide were knocked down and suffered minor injuries, according to the Minnesota BCA.
Cobb had been originally pulled over because his tail lights weren't on. During the stop, troopers learned Cobb was wanted by Ramsey County law enforcement for violating a no-contact order in a domestic case.
"This is the first time, at least in recent memory, that we had a state agency involved in this, either it be the DNR, the BCA itself, or in this case the state patrol," Walz said. "[The BCA] is the best qualified group of folks out there."
Walz, who was in Coon Rapids touting a $173 million investment in nursing homes statewide, said he had been in contact with Cobb's family and would meet with Cobb's mother on Wednesday.
Related
Governor Walz was asked if his administration had considered turning the case over to an independent agency, such as an out of state agency, or the FBI.
"We actually investigated a little bit and we can't, according to state law, Wisconsin can't do it, which would leave the only real agency that has the capacity to do it would be Hennepin County or the City of Minneapolis. I think in this case we think the resources, the professionalism, and I think the trust of the people of Minnesota is still with the BCA to look into that."
All three troopers remain on standard administrative leave.
Investigators did find a handgun in the backseat of Cobb's vehicle, but noted that Cobb is never seen on video holding the gun. There's also no evidence suggesting Cobb held the gun at any time during the incident, or that the troopers even knew the gun was inside the car.