MINNEAPOLIS — In the latest twist in the case of Ryan Londregan, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced she has filed a notice to dismiss all criminal charges against the Minnesota State Trooper.
Londregan was charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II on the shoulder of I-94 in Minneapolis on July 31, 2023.
In a news release sent to news organizations Sunday evening, Moriarty said decided to drop charges after Londregan's defense team presented new pieces of evidence that would have made convicting Londregan impossible.
"Although the law requires this decision, I know this is no comfort to the Cobb family, or the community traumatized by police violence," said Moriarty, in a statement.
The Hennepin County Attorney pointed at two specific moves made by Londregan's defense team which proved fatal for the prosecution's argument.
The first involved an open court hearing on April 29 during which the defense revealed "the substance of Mr. Londregan's testimony" which indicated the trooper would testify that he thought Cobb was reaching for Londregan's gun an instant before Londregan fired the fatal shots. Moriarty said the video evidence doesn't clearly refute or support that claim, but she doesn't believe her prosecution team would be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether or not that was the case.
The second issue Moriarty pointed to was Londregan's State Patrol trainer declaring that he did not train Londregan to refrain from physically extracting people from a running car, an act which Moriarty said set the events of Cobb's death in motion.
Following those two disclosures by Londregan's defense team, Moriarty consulted with a use-of-force expert and an outside team of prosecutors she hired, then determined the state could no longer prove that the trooper's use of force was not justified in the incident that led to Cobb's death.
"Ricky Cobb II should still be alive," Moriarty asserted in Sunday's press release. "Today’s necessary decision does not change that fact, nor does it exonerate Mr. Londregan or the methods his supervisors used to train him in difficult situations. The question of whether we can prove a case at trial is different than clearing a person of any wrongdoing. There are so many points at which Mr. Londregan could have handled the situation differently, and if he had, Ricky Cobb might still be alive. But that is not the question before us as prosecutors; the only question is whether we can still prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred given this new evidence. The answer to that question is no, and I would violate my ethical duties if I nonetheless continued with the case.”
Following Moriarty's announcement, Minnesota State Patrol Chief Col. Christina Bogojevic issued a statement on the developments and how the case has impacted her organization.
“Our troopers work hard every day to keep Minnesota safe. They are in a line of work that is increasingly difficult and dangerous — but also more important than ever," Col. Bogojevic said. "The use of force that took Ricky Cobb II’s life unfolded in a fraction of a second. We acknowledge the loss felt by Mr. Cobb’s family. We also recognize the immense toll this incident has taken on our troopers and staff."
The colonel says Trooper Londregan will remain on paid leave from the state patrol while a critical incident review is completed.
Attorneys for Ricky Cobb's family reacted to the decision with resignation, blaming it on political pressure and Moriarty's office being bullied by outside interests.
"While we are disappointed, we are not surprised because, like many, we have come to expect the absence of justice and accountability when Black lives are lost in this country," reads the statement from attorneys Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels and F. Clayton Tyler. "In fact, the state of Minnesota has repeatedly demonstrated that Black lives simply are not valued whether it’s Daunte Demetrius Wright, Philando Castile or Ricky Cobb II."
Reaction from law enforcement organizations also followed, with most taking the Hennepin County Attorney to task for her decision to charge Londregan with murder in the first place.
"Open season on law enforcement needs to end – on the streets and in the courtroom. Trooper Londregan should have never been charged, and we are glad this political case is over. Enough is enough," Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association executive director Brian Peters said in a statement.
MPPO General Counsel and former Washington County Prosecutor Imran Ali was even more pointed in his criticism of Moriarty's original decision to charge. "The justice system is not a science experiment. Prosecutors are ministers of justice," Ali wrote. "This case was (an) example of an injustice that has been corrected, but the damage remains. This prosecutor divided our communities all in the name of politics. Shame on you, Mary Moriarty."
"This decision is supported by the evidence and multiple expert opinions," commented Governor Tim Walz. While I have expressed serious reservations about the approach taken and cost of this prosecution, this is clearly the right call."
Londregan's trial was set to begin on Sept. 9.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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