Charges dropped against Minnesota Trooper in shooting of suspect who nearly ran him over

MINNEAPOLIS, MN— State Trooper Ryan Londregan has had all charges against him dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty according to reports released Sunday stating that the charges against him in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II in the summer of 2023 cannot be proven.

According to KSTP-TV, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) stated that Londregan's defense team presented new evidence in the case that made it impossible for the State to prove that the officer's actions were not an authorized use of force.

The outlet reported that during a hearing in open court on April 29th Londregan’s testimony in which he described Cobb reaching for a trooper's sidearm before he opened fire striking and killing Cobb as he sped away from the officers nearly running over the two state troopers.
 

Out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ricky Cobb II is wanted on a felony protection order violation. When attempting to detain Ricky, he became argumentative, resisted, and ultimately drove away, almost running over two state troopers. One of the troopers fired his weapon twice while… pic.twitter.com/25VCI9bFSs

— Paul (@WomanDefiner) April 18, 2024

The office further stated that Minneapolis State Troopers have not been instructed to refrain from shooting into a moving vehicle while a suspect is being extracted, according to the outlet although he did cite this as a best practice.

According to a special prosecutor's report, the office then determined following these disclosures and consultation with a use-of-force expert that the burden of proof for charges could no longer be met stating:

"The legal standard applicable to this case does not permit the fact-finder to use the benefit of hindsight or an after-the-fact identification of better options available to the involved officer. Therefore, the critical issue is whether the evidence is sufficient to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that at the moment that Trooper Londregan shot Mr. Cobb, he lacked justification to do so under Minnesota law. The answer is no. The evidence at trial would likely show support for the defense theory that Trooper Londregan acted in defense of himself and others."

The report was punishingly critical of the troopers describing the troopers' "poor tactics and inadequate training," adding that the death of Cobb was "entirely avoidable." Lead counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association Imran Ali responded with criticism for Moriarty, “I am happy for Mr. Londregan, but I am also angry. I find it disingenuous, and quite frankly, it’s an embarrassment that everyone else is blamed — everyone else is blamed but herself.”



Moriarty released a letter to the community overtly framing the tragic shooting as racially motivated writing:

"Today, I want to address the people of Hennepin County as a Lifelong Minnesotan who has watched too many killings of Black men by law enforcement. Prosecuting a case of police violence is always an uphill battle- and that is by design.

Law enforcement witnesses do not have to talk to investigators until after they review evidence and have consulted with a lawyer– often paid for by the same police union paying for the legal fees for the defendant’s lawyer. In addition, many law enforcement witnesses do not want to provide testimony against the people they serve alongside.

We often hear law enforcement lament about community members who do not want to provide eyewitness testimony against people that they know. Law enforcement witnesses in these cases are no different, even though they receive additional protections that are not given to members of the community. That should not be the case."

The Hennepin County Attorney has been subsequently criticized for bringing the case against Londregan and her polarizing comments by Minnesota Republicans Michelle Fischbach, Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, and Brad Finstad who released the following statement

“It was clear months ago that Ms. Moriarty was abusing her position to wrongfully charge Trooper Londregan. When she refused to listen to the facts of the case and the law, we asked Governor Walz to step in and remove the case from her jurisdiction.

Finally, after many months of unnecessary strife, Ms. Moriarty has come to the same conclusion that the experts did: that Trooper Londregan was completely justified in his use of force to protect his partner’s life. 

We still share the same concerns we expressed to the Governor as well as the House Judiciary Committee about Ms. Moriarty’s active work to demonize law enforcement. We are committed to doing everything we can to protect our brave officers from corrupted officials like her.”