Minnesota state trooper charged with murder, manslaughter in fatal shooting of Black motorist

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has charged a Minnesota state trooper with three criminal counts including murder for last summer's fatal shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II following a traffic stop.

Moriarty announced the decision Wednesday to charge Trooper Ryan Londregan with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter in the July 31 shooting of Cobb, 33, of Plymouth, in north Minneapolis after he was pulled over about 2 a.m. on Interstate 94 for driving without taillights. During the stop, troopers attempted to remove Cobb from the vehicle after learning that he'd been accused of violating a standing domestic order for protection out of Ramsey County.

The charges come more than four months after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension handed over its investigation to Moriarty.

"As with all Minnesota law enforcement officers, state troopers may only use deadly force when it is necessary to protect a person from a specific identified threat of great bodily harm or death that was reasonably likely to occur," Moriarty said at a news conference. "That did not exist in this case...Ricky Cobb II should be alive today."

"A critical component of the work of the Minnesota State Patrol is engaging with drivers during motor vehicle stops. This is something that State Troopers do every day, and, as a result, they receive extensive training on how to do so safely and effectively. Trooper Londregan did not follow this training," Moriarty said. "These charges are appropriate based on the thorough investigation conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and attorneys in our office. This matter is now an active criminal prosecution. Because this matter is now an active criminal prosecution, and because we take the right to a fair trial seriously, we will have no further comment at this time."

Squad and body camera video showed three troopers attempting to order Cobb out of the vehicle. He resisted instructions and repeatedly questioned why he was being detained. Less than a minute later, troopers forced open the doors.

Londregan was partly inside Cobb's car when he drew and fired his handgun.

Cobb's car lurched forward, knocking down Londregan and another trooper, Brett Seide. A third trooper identified by the BCA as Garrett Erickson was also on the scene.

The BCA made clear that Cobb was not holding a gun at the time of the shooting. A firearm was recovered on the floor behind the center console of Cobb's vehicle.

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office had issued a 72-hour request for agencies to pick up and hold Cobb for questioning. The alleged violation grants officers probable cause to detain Cobb. The order for protection was filed by the mother of Cobb's young children, relatives have said.

Moriarty met with Cobb's family to alert them of receiving the case in September and told them that she was committed to a fair decision-making process.

But Londregan's attorney, Chris Madel, criticized Moriarty for meeting with Cobb's family because he said it undermines the due-process rights of his client and the integrity of the investigation.

In a statement issued after the charges were announced, Madel said: "This County Attorney has provided sweetheart deals to murderers and kidnappers, and now, today, she charges a hero. This County Attorney is literally out of control. Open season on law enforcement must end. And it's going to end with this case."

Cobb's family called for Londregan to be fired and criminally charged. They are also planning to file a civil lawsuit after retaining civil rights attorneys Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels and F. Clayton Tyler.

The legal team has blasted the State Patrol for those refusing to cooperate in the BCA investigation that spanned roughly seven weeks, saying that employees were sheltering Londregan.

Londregan has less than two years of law enforcement experience. He became a trooper trainee Feb. 22, 2021, and was appointed Oct. 22, 2021, according to their public employee files provided by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In a statement, Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, said the agency is "conducting a critical incident review that will examine and inform our training and policies."

"Any time a use-of-force incident ends with the loss of a life, it is tragic. Ricky Cobb II's death is no different. This is a sad situation for everyone involved. We acknowledge the deep loss felt by Mr. Cobb's family and friends. We also recognize the gravity of this situation for the State Patrol and our troopers tasked with making difficult split-second decisions," Langer said. "In accordance with the troopers' labor contract, Trooper Ryan Londregan will remain on paid leave while an investigation by the Department of Public Safety's Internal Affairs Division is completed. That investigation has begun and will inform employment decisions."

Cases of law enforcement in Minnesota fatally shooting motorists or civilians have varying timelines of investigations and charging decisions.

In 2018, former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that he would not charge two Minneapolis police officers in the shooting death of Thurman Blevins. Freeman's swift decision was made in about a month.

In 2017, the BCA turned over its investigation to Freeman in September regarding the July killing of Justine Ruszczyk Damond by Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor. Freeman convened a grand jury in January 2018 and didn't announce charges against Noor until that March.

In 2016, the BCA investigated the fatal shooting of Black motorist Philando Castile for three months. It took Ramsey County Attorney John Choi fifty days to make a charging decision against St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez.

Cobb's killing reignited concerns among some critics about whether the BCA is capable of conducting a truly independent inquiry into a fellow state agency.

Minnesota state troopers rarely use deadly force. The only other killing by a trooper in recent years happened in 2022 when a trooper shot Charles Bangs, 59, outside of Bowlus, Minn.

The shooting was determined to be justified because Bangs was armed with a gun and pointed it at the trooper.

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