Murder Charges Dropped Against State Trooper Ryan Londregan – Law Officer

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Sunday that she will drop charges against State Trooper Ryan Londregan in the death of Ricky Cobb II. Cobb was killed during a traffic stop in Minneapolis last year.

In a court hearing last month, Londregan pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, manslaughter and assault.

Moriarty said new evidence would make it impossible to prove the unauthorized use of force.

“Specifically, in an open hearing on April 29, 2024, the defense disclosed the substance of Mr. Londregan’s potential testimony that he saw Ricky Cobb II reach for the trooper’s firearm shortly before Londregan fired the shots who killed Mr. Cobb.” the county prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“Furthermore,” Moriarty added, “an MSP trainer provided an affidavit stating that he never instructed officers to refrain from shooting into a moving vehicle during extraction, even though it is the most good practice.”

Moriarty said that because of that evidence, the state will not be able to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt that lethal force is not justified.”

Christopher Madel, Londregan’s lawyer, strongly criticized Moriarty’s actions during the case and outlined his criticism in a three-page letter last summer. He told MPR News of the county attorney’s decision to drop the charges via email: “It’s kind of a bummer.”

Reaction to Moriarty’s decision from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association was swift.

“Open season on law enforcement must end — on the streets and in the courtroom,” Brian Peters, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “Trooper Londregan should never have been charged and we are glad this political case is over. Enough is enough.”

The association’s general counsel and former Washington County prosecutor, Imran Ali, criticized Moriarty’s handling of the case.

“The justice system is not a science experiment. Prosecutors are ministers of justice. This case was an example of an injustice that was corrected, but the damage remains,” Ali said. “This prosecutor has divided our communities all in the name of politics. Shame on you, Mary Moriarty.”

While Moriarty dropped the charges, two use-of-force experts hired by the prosecutor’s office before the charges were filed said the shooting was legal and justified. A third expert recently left the case.