It was suggested that a posse led by Wyatt Earp located Ringo, who spotted them and grabbed his guns to run for a canyon. Two theories exist: Cooley shot him as he ran with a rifle; or that Cooley killed him one on one. Neither version can be proven. Cooley supported the Earp faction, but he has never been mentioned as having taken active part in the Earp Vendetta Ride. He is believed to have helped fund the ride, and to have been employed as a stage coach driver for Wells Fargo at the time.