JACKSON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri prosecutor has ruled that a state trooper was justified in the shooting death of a suspect.

The Southeast Missourian reports that Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Chris Limbaugh issued the ruling Friday in the April death of 48-year-old Jeffrey Darrell Hobbs. Limbaugh ruled that trooper Jason McBride was endangered “without question” by Hobbs’ actions.

McBride shot Hobbs after a confrontation during a traffic stop near Cape Girardeau, about 100 miles south of St. Louis. The trooper stopped Hobbs after observing his vehicle swerving on Highway 177.

The patrol says Hobbs was handcuffed for acting suspiciously, broke free, and tried to drive away while dragging the trooper alongside.

The patrol said the trooper warned Hobbs to stop and fatally shot him when he refused to do so.