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Racial justice activists joined with relatives of Ricky Cobb II Wednesday in calling for the firing and prosecution of the state troopers involved in the killing of the 33-year-old Black man during a traffic stop.

A trooper fatally shot Ricky Cobb II early Monday along Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis. 

The Minnesota State Patrol said troopers pulled Cobb over for driving without taillights, then tried to arrest him for a protection order violation. 

Bodycam video shows tense moments as troopers confront, fatally shoot man along I-94

On police video, a trooper is heard for more than a minute repeatedly asking Cobb to exit his vehicle. The officer doesn’t give a reason despite Cobb’s questions. 

Two of the officers eventually open the car doors and reach inside. One of the troopers fires two shots and both officers fall to the ground as Cobb speeds away. 

At an evening rally outside the Hennepin County Government Center, civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong said the trooper had no justification to shoot, and she called on Gov. Tim Walz to fire him and the other troopers who were part of the traffic stop

"We are not safe as Black people in the state of Minnesota, and the brutal murder of Ricky Cobb II proves that once again,” Levy Armstrong said. 

Several of Cobb’s relatives appeared at the rally, including his twin brother Rashad and their mother Nyra Fields-Miller, who said the troopers need to accept responsibility.

"My heart is heavy,” Fields-Miller said. “I'm dried up for any more tears. I think somebody else should shed some tears. I would like those officers to man up, and let's bring justice forth."

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement Tuesday that she will ll make a charging decision as quickly as possible, once the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension finishes its investigation.

In a tweet Wednesday, Walz said he had spoken with Fields-Miller and “assured her that a swift, thorough investigation has already begun and that we will do everything we can to get to the bottom of what happened.”

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Racial justice activists joined with relatives of Ricky Cobb II Wednesday in calling for the firing and prosecution of the state troopers involved in the killing of the 33-year-old Black man during a traffic stop.


Kerem Yücel | MPR News

Family members experience emotional moments

A person looks on during a press conference

A person leans on the shoulders of relatives

Activists call for firing, prosecution of state troopers involved in fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb

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