Video and evidence largely confirm trooper's claims in April traffic stop shooting

On April 29, Jeffrey Darrell Hobbs was shot and killed by Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Jason McBride following an intense traffic stop. Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Limbaugh came to the determination in late July that McBride was justified in shooting and killing Hobbs.

“In conclusion, it is without question that Hobbs presented clear and immediate danger of serious physical injury to McBride,” Limbaugh wrote. “Despite the immediate threat to his safety, McBride continued to attempt to control the situation by commanding Hobbs to stop and by making efforts himself to turn off the ignition. ... These events are tragic, not criminal.”

Video and other evidence from the fatal shooting were released to the Southeast Missourian on Monday in response to a Sunshine Law request that was submitted in April just after the incident took place. McBride’s claims are confirmed to a large degree by this video and evidence.

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In an initial report of the incident, police said Hobbs was pulled over after his vehicle swerved. Later the reason given for the traffic stop was that Hobbs was traveling 77 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone and swerving within its lane. In the following video, Hobbs can be seen swerving slightly just before he turns onto a driveway where he and McBride both park. McBride said during his walk-through of the situation that he clocked him doing 77 on Highway 177 and turned around. You can hear McBride’s statement in its entirety here.

It was alleged that Hobbs exited his vehicle, as did McBride, and although Hobbs stepping out of his vehicle cannot be seen in the vehicle, McBride can be heard saying, “Whoa, wait in the car. Get back in the car.”

Days after the shooting, Hobbs’ neighbor Pam Wilson said it was likely he got out to try to talk his way out of a ticket and that he “could talk a person’s ear off.”

According to a news release the day following the incident, Hobbs began “acting in a suspicious manner,” but did not clarify what that meant. Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott did write in a news release the day after the incident that “the act of getting out of the vehicle is out of the ordinary and could be deemed as suspicious behavior.”

In the video, after McBride walks in front of his vehicle toward Hobbs and tells him to put his hands where he can see them, Hobbs can be heard saying multiple times that his brakes went out or weren’t working properly.

Officer McBride questions Hobbs, “What were you hiding when you were pulling in here?”

Hobbs insists he wasn’t hiding anything. Methamphetamine and Oxycodone were recovered from inside Hobbs’ car as well as two Oycodone pills in his pocket, according to a news release from Limbaugh in late July, and Hobbs’ blood and urine contained high levels of both, according to a toxicology report. The toxicology report was not included in the open records sent by the Missouri Highway Patrol.

McBride asks if he can search him, asks if he has any needles that are going to “stick me” or any “weed.” He notes that Hobbs’ pockets are turned inside out as if he’d pulled something out of them.

He then tells him to put his hands behind his back.

A photo submitted into evidence shows wounds trooper Jason McBride sustained on his face during the altercation.

An altercation can be heard, with McBride telling Hobbs multiple times to, “Get on the ground,” before the tussle comes into view on the dash cam. Hobbs’ left hand is in a handcuff during the altercation, consistent with earlier reports from the highway patrol. Photographs included in evidence show wounds on McBride’s face that “were sustained from the open side of the handcuffs,” according to previous reports. Evidence photos also show bruising around Hobbs’ wrist, consistent with having been handcuffed.

Hobbs can be heard making loud grunting noises during the struggle and tells McBride to, “Leave me alone,” and that he, “wasn’t doing nothing.” McBride states that Hobbs is under arrest before Hobbs’ pleads for him to leave him alone and that he wants to go home continue.

In his review of the incident, Limbaugh cited state statute that McBride was under no obligation to retreat or cease his attempts to complete the arrest based on Hobbs’ behavior, which made the stop and attempted arrest lawful.

Hobbs can be heard telling McBride to get away before the engine of Hobbs’ car is turned on and it can be heard revving.

According to an early press release, Hobbs “dragged” McBride to the vehicle before getting in and starting it. A Southeast Missourian reporter was told by an officer at the scene that, “The two men struggled while the car went in four circles around the driveway, which was surrounded by grass.” This isn’t visible on the video, but in aerial photos from the scene there are clear tire tracks in the grass in a semi-circle.

In an interview with police about 8 p.m. that night, witness Casey Cattron said he was leaving his family’s house to go to Bible study when he saw the trooper’s car and assumed someone was pulled over for a ticket.

He stopped and then saw McBride, “wrestling with the guy in the car.”

A photo submitted as evidence shows mud caked on the pants of trooper Jason McBride.

“The officer is, I would say, about halfway inside the vehicle,” Cattron said of when he saw the two first wrestling.

“I see the guy take off and do a doughnut in our driveway and run through our yard and everything and get into the thick grass over there, and then about that time the car stops and by that time I was already reversing and heading back up the hill.”

A close up of Jason McBride's backup Ruger handgun, which was previously secured around his ankle and was found alongside the tire marks left in the grass, according to police evidence.

When he returned after alerting his parents to the situation he, “saw that the car was stopped in the grass where it was earlier and the officer was walking around. He had bruises and blood on him.”

Photographs of McBride’s clothing also show mud caked on his pants.

“McBride’s backup Ruger handgun, which was previously secured around his ankle, appeared to have been torn from its ankle holster and found alongside the tire marks left in the grass,” Limbaugh wrote. “This would further indicate that McBride’s legs and feet were being dragged in proximity to the vehicle’s tires as it was moving.”

Jason McBride's backup Ruger handgun, which was previously secured around his ankle, and was found alongside the tire marks left in the grass, according to police evidence.

Photos of McBride’s gun laying near the tire tracks corroborate that.

Casey’s father, Randy Cattron said in an interview with police on May 11 that when he arrived McBride had “blood coming down both sides.” McBride sustained a concussion, ruptured eardrum and a labral tear in his shoulder, according to Limbaugh’s release.

“We were fighting back and forth. He was able to put his vehicle in drive and he drove off with me hanging halfway out of the car and he drug me part of the way up through the yard,” McBride said in an interview with police, noting he was able to reach up and shut the vehicle off at one point but Hobbs was able to restart it.

“I told him, ‘If you drag me again I’m going to shoot you,” McBride said in his recorded statement. In the video, shortly after the vehicle appears in the frame of the right half of the screen around the 20-second mark, McBride can clearly be heard warning Hobbs twice that, “I’m going to shoot you,” and to put his hands behind his back. The car can be seen moving again after this with McBride shouting, “Stop.” Hobbs says, “Oh my God, you didn’t do that,” and McBride immediately radios for assistance. The gun shots were not audible on the video; only Hobbs’ reaction.

A few minutes later Randy and Casey Cattron appear on the video.

A first-aid kit sits on the back of Jeffrey Darrell Hobbs' car.

McBride walks to his car, telling someone, “I’ll be alright,” as he grabs something from the back of his truck, presumably a first-aid kit that he takes over to Hobbs’ vehicle. He can be heard unzipping the pack and goes to the other side of Hobbs’ car where his body was, consistent with initial reports that he, “secured the other handcuff and attempted to provide first aid to Hobbs,” who was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The officer is justified in using deadly force in effecting an arrest when the officer reasonably believes such force is immediately necessary where the person to be arrested has committed a felony, is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon or the subject may otherwise endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless the subject is arrested without delay,” Limbaugh wrote in July.

The following video contains disturbing audio. Please watch at your own discretion.

Shortly after the shooting, McBride recounted the events to law enforcement, explaining that Hobbs got out of the vehicle and he went to handcuff him when he started resisting and the struggle outside the vehicle began. McBride explained that he was “dragged” when Hobbs drove the car and that when he stopped he warned him he would shoot him if he drug him again.

He repeats that story again minutes later and says, “He looked like he was trying to hide something.”

The full video of the incident can be viewed here

Ben Kleine and Tyler Graef also contributed to this report.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly identify Jason McBride in two references.