Judge dismisses civil suit against trooper involved in fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II

A federal judge has granted a Minnesota state trooper’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the family of Ricky Cobb II, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in 2023.

The order issued on Tuesday clears State Trooper Brett Seide of allegations of excessive force and wrongful seizure resulting in Cobb’s death.

Seide was one of the troopers who stopped Cobb on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on the morning of July 31, 2023. Another trooper, Ryan Londregan, fatally shot Cobb when he didn’t comply with an attempted arrest and drove away.

Londregan faced criminal charges that the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped. He was named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit, and the judge dismissed the claims against him back in October.

Seide sought to have the civil lawsuit dismissed on grounds of qualified immunity.

In granting Seide’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Judge Nancy Brasel noted the trooper “did not violate any clearly established rights” when he extended the traffic stop to investigate a warrant for violating an order for protection. The order also states that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate Seide used excessive force during the arrest.

The full order can be viewed below.