Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan pleads not guilty to charges in killing of Ricky Cobb II
MINNEAPOLIS — A 27-year-old Minnesota state trooper charged with murder pleaded not guilty on Wednesday afternoon.
Ryan Londregan is accused of shooting and killing 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop last summer. He is facing felony charges of second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter.
Longregan's trial is set to start on Sept. 9.
Londregan's attorneys maintain the use of force was justified.
"Trooper Londregan followed his training. We have four, four sworn declarations from state troopers, current and former, that say that he followed his training, including the use of force policy," defense attorney Chris Madel said about the case last month.
If convicted, Londregan could face up to 40 years in prison.
Details of the shooting
On the morning of July 31, 2023, two troopers pulled Cobb over for not having his taillights on. They soon discovered he was wanted by Ramsey County law enforcement for violating a no-contact order in a domestic case.
Body camera footage captured by the troopers showed them demanding Cobb exit his vehicle. He refused and began driving away when a trooper tried to unbuckle his seat belt. That's when Londregan fired two rounds into Cobb's torso.
Cobb's vehicle continued to move, causing two of the troopers to fall to the ground. The vehicle eventually came to a stop, and Cobb was found dead inside.
A federal lawsuit filed by Cobb's family claims Londregan and Brett Seide unreasonably seized Cobb by ordering him out of the car without explaining if he was under arrest, and by reaching into the car and grabbing him in an attempt to "forcibly remove him." The troopers also used "unnecessary, excessive, and deadly force" on Cobb, the lawsuit says.
Controversy around the case
Since Londregan was charged in January, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the largest police organization in the state, accused Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty of ignoring an expert's opinion on Londregan's use of deadly force and requested that Gov. Tim Walz hand over the case to the attorney general.
Some Republican representatives have even called for Moriarty's office to be investigated.
The county's lead prosecutor on the case, Joshua Larson, stepped away from the role, in late April. After his departure, Moriarty's office said she was "assembling a new prosecution team" and entered into a contract with a Washington D.C.-based law firm.
Four former federal prosecutors — Michael R. Bromwich, Steven Levin, Karima Maloney and Ryan Poscablo — will be deputized as special assistant county attorneys. Moriarty says her office will fund the team through this year's existing budget.
The move to hire outside legal council has been met with criticism, with legal experts saying that it's an uncommon decision, considering the HCAO is the largest public law office in Minnesota, with more than 200 attorneys on staff.
Moriarty has also faced criticism from Walz, who said he's been watching the case closely and hasn't "shut the door" to rerouting the case to the attorney general.
"We can't speak to the County Attorney's reasons for seeking outside counsel, but it raises questions about the approach she has taken in this case," Walz said in a written statement.