Prosecutor to decide soon if trooper will face charges

JACKSON (AP) - A southeast Missouri prosecutor is expected to decide as early as this week whether a state trooper should face charges in the shooting death of a suspect.
Jeffrey Darrell Hobbs, 48, of Neelys Landing was fatally shot by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on April 29, following a confrontation after a traffic stop. The shooting led to an investigation by the Cape Girardeau County Coroner's office.
Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Chris Limbaugh received the coroner's report on Friday and is reviewing it. The report includes toxicology test results for the trooper and Hobbs. Limbaugh and Coroner John Clifton declined comment on those results.
The name of the trooper, a 15-year veteran of the patrol, has not been released.
Clifton said he reviewed dashboard-camera video from the trooper's vehicle, along with the highway patrol's report about the shooting. He also met with patrol investigators and Hobbs' family.
Highway patrol officials said the trooper shot Hobbs after a confrontation on a driveway near the Lil' Country Store. The patrol said the trooper stopped Hobbs after observing his vehicle swerving on Highway 177.
The patrol said Hobbs acted suspiciously after getting out of his vehicle, prompting the trooper to handcuff him. With one cuff on, Hobbs began to fight with the trooper and tried to break free, the patrol said.
Hobbs allegedly returned to his vehicle and began to drive, dragging the trooper along the side. The patrol said the trooper warned Hobbs to stop or he would be shot.
Hobbs continued to drive, and the trooper fired two rounds, killing him, the patrol said. The trooper was treated at a hospital for cuts to the face.
Authorities have declined to release the trooper's dashboard camera video, citing the ongoing investigation.