MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Following a fatal shooting of a 33-year-old Black man by a Minnesota state trooper during a July traffic stop, the trooper has now been charged with murder, officials announced Wednesday.
The state trooper, Ryan Londregan, 27, is facing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. The decision to file these criminal charges came after the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension completed its investigation of the incident in September.
The shooting, which resulted in the death of Ricky T. Cobb II, was determined by Moriarty to have occurred without a reasonable threat present before Londregan opened fire. This tragic event sparked outrage from Cobb’s family and community leaders, leading to calls for Londregan and the other two state troopers present at the scene to be fired. Currently, all three troopers are on paid leave, as stated by the Minnesota State Patrol.
Londregan’s attorney, Christopher Madel, responded to the charges in a video statement released Wednesday, where he defended his client as a “hero.”
The incident took place when Cobb, a resident of St. Cloud, was pulled over in Minneapolis at 2 a.m. on July 31 for driving without his lights. One of the troopers at the scene had learned that Cobb was wanted for a “violation of a protective order” in another county, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
During the traffic stop, body-camera footage shows that Cobb repeatedly questioned why the troopers were asking him to exit the vehicle before Londregan opened the passenger-side door and another trooper started to open the driver-side door. At that moment, Cobb shifted to drive and took his foot off the brake, which led to the trooper firing two shots, hitting Cobb’s torso.
In early August, officials released body-camera video from the traffic stop, where it was revealed that a handgun was found in the back of Cobb’s car, although the video did not show him holding it at any point during the exchange with the troopers.
Cobb’s mother, Nyra Fields-Miller, described her son as “defenseless” when he was shot, and expressed that no amount of justice could make up for his loss. During a news conference, Moriarty emphasized that troopers are trained to carry out traffic stops safely and are only permitted to use deadly force when facing a threat of great bodily harm or death, which was not the case during Cobb’s traffic stop.
Chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, Col. Matt Langer, described the entire situation as a “sad situation for everyone involved,” acknowledging the deep loss felt by Cobb’s family and friends.