Minnesota governor says he would've intervened in state trooper Ryan Londregan's murder case
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he would've intervened in the criminal case against the Minnesota State Patrol trooper who fatally shot Ricky Cobb II if the Hennepin County Attorney's Office hadn't dropped the charges.
Trooper Ryan Londregan, 27, was charged in January with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter in connection to the shooting on July 31, 2023, that left 33-year-old Cobb dead.
Londregan pleaded not guilty to the charges, which Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty dropped on Sunday due to what she described as "several new pieces of evidence that would make it impossible for the State to prove that Mr. Londregan's actions were not an authorized use of force by a peace officer."
Walz: "I don't take it lightly"
Walz called the dismissal "the right decision" in a press conference on Monday morning. He was also asked if had considered reassigning the case from Moriarty to the state attorney's office, a move he made in April 2023 in the Zaria McKeever murder case.
"At some point had this decision not been made, then yes, we would have done that," Walz said. "I also say that I don't take it lightly. I think that is the wrong, it should not be that way, but there's a safety net in there to allow an egregious situation like this to be corrected. And yes, we would have used that."
A spokesperson for Moriarty's office stated on Monday afternoon that while they heard rumors about Walz's potential intervention this weekend, it had no bearing on the decision to drop charges — a move the office notified Cobb's family about ahead of Sunday's announcement.
"The Cobb family has already been subject to vicious attacks while they were forced to endure this case being used as a political football. They deserved to hear the decision from us," the spokesperson said.
Moriarty: "This was one of the hardest decision I've ever made"
In a press conference on Monday morning, Moriarty said Londregan was expected to testify that Cobb tried to reach for his service weapon, and a state patrol trainer said officers aren't instructed against shooting into a moving vehicle during an extraction.
"It was frustrating to learn of this evidence so far into the case because the defense had so many opportunities to provide us with it," Moriarty said.
She said her office believes the judge would've granted a motion of acquittal by the defense if the trial went forward.
"This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. It was on the one hand not so hard legally, but people in our community and Ricky Cobb's family shouldn't have to listen to me or any prosecutor once again talk about the same legal barriers that prevent accountability time after time after time," she said.
The county attorney also denied that last week's shooting death of Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was a factor in her decision.
"Make no mistake, Ricky Cobb was the victim in this case. Ricky Cobb should be alive today," Moriarty said.
Moriarty says this trial was fueled politically and her team faced threatening attacks throughout the process.
Attorneys with a Washington D.C. law firm took over the case in April, and released a report with eight recommendations to prevent something like this from happening again. They include amending the use of force policy and sharping de-escalation training for troopers.
Moriarty says she will stay committed to advocating for these changes.
Attorneys for Cobb's family, Londregan respond
The Cobb family's legal team, comprised of Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels and F. Clayton Tyler, released a statement on Sunday saying in part they were "disappointed" but "not surprised" by the move to drop charges.
"Apparently, all you have to do to get away with murder is to bully the prosecutors enough and the charges will just go away," the team wrote.
Cobb's mother, Nyra Fields-Miller, told the media on Monday she feels she's been lied to.
"I have been really wrecked about this situation, and it's wrong," Fields-Miller said. "They need to take accountability and stand up, be a man and do what you got to do. And I'm going to be a woman and do what I got to do and make this right."
Chris Madel, Londregan's attorney, held a press conference on Monday afternoon where he called Moriarty's conference from earlier in the day "unhinged and delusional." He argued the evidence the prosecution cited wasn't new and charges shouldn't have happened in the first place.
"I thank God I'm not a cop. I certainly thank God that I'm not a cop in Hennepin County and have to answer to the likes of Mary Moriarty," Madel said.
Madel also shared some of Londregan's resume, including several recognitions for DWI enforcement and his outstanding rookie award.
"What I heard over and over again today is I am so sorry for the Cobb family! How about someone being a little bit sorry for what Ryan Londregan had to go through!" he said.
Details of the shooting
On the morning of July 31, 2023, two troopers pulled Cobb, who was Black, 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, who is White, 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.
Londregan is on paid leave while the state patrol continues to conduct its critical incident review.