Minnesota Prosecutor Faces the Million-Dollar Question: Did This Cop Have to Kill Ricky Cobb II?

Sighhh. Here we go again, y’all. Another prosecutor must decide from the results of an investigation if a police officer was justified in fatally shooting a Black man. Though, word has it that not all the officers swept into it agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

So, how thorough really was the probe?

In July, 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II was pulled over for his taillights being out when Trooper Brett Seide found an arrest warrant on a order-for-protection violation. The Minnesota Public Safety Department’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Seide then tried to arrest Cobb by pulling him out of his car. Two other officers arrived to help yank him out. Cobb kept his hands gripped on the wheel and allegedly tried to drive off. Seide then shot into the car. Cobb drove a short distance before the car stopped and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

After sifting through the body camera footage and with the help of a use-of-force expert, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is expected to decide on whether the three officers involved deserve criminal charges. Though, there may be some missing information.

Read more from The Associated Press:

But she also said she was disappointed to learn from state investigators about a lack of cooperation from some patrol employees who weren’t the subject of the investigation but potentially had useful information. She stressed that “the family, the community, and the troopers involved in this incident all deserve answers.”

Bakari Sellers, who represents Cobb’s family, said in a statement that while it was troubling that some patrol staff wasn’t cooperating, the days of “turning a blind eye are over.”

“Accountability,” Sellers said, “is coming no matter how hard you try to hide.”

According to state law, police officers are authorized to use deadly force when preventing the escape of a person who the officer believes committed a crime or attempted to commit a crime. The officer should also give a warning ahead of deadly use.

It’s unclear in the footage if Cobb was given a warning that he’d be shot. Seide and his two colleagues were placed on leave upon the investigation. Though, Cobb’s family and local advocates want them to get the boot altogether.

“The circumstances simply did not require the use of deadly force. Those officers acted recklessly and they must be held accountable,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, founder of the Racial Justice Network in the statement via AP.