Minnesota state trooper charged with second-degree murder in death of man during traffic stop in Minneapolis
WCCO, MILLER FAMILY PHOTOS, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, MADEL PA, CNN
By Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — A Minnesota State Patrol trooper was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop in Minneapolis last year.
State Trooper Ryan Londregan also faces charges of first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.
“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. That did not exist in this case,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference. “Ricky Cobb II should be alive today.”
Investigators said Cobb was pulled over July 31 on Interstate 94 by three troopers for not having taillights turned on at night, and troopers determined he was wanted for violating a protective order in Ramsey County. Body camera video showed that Cobb – who is Black – refused to leave his vehicle after being told that he was not facing an arrest warrant.
Londregan – who is White – and another trooper, are seen trying to physically remove Cobb from the car, and the vehicle appears to move forward slowly. The criminal complaint says Londergan shot Cobb twice, and the vehicle sped up and crashed into a concrete barrier a quarter-mile away. Cobb was pronounced dead at the scene.
“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,” Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel said Wednesday.
The “(Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association) will vigorously defend our trooper who is unjustly charged as a result of acting in accordance with his legal responsibilities,” MPPOA Executive Director Brian Peters said in a statement.
Moriarty said Londregan is expected to make his first court appearance later this week or next week, and they will recommend that he be released on his own recognizance. “We are not requesting bail in this case because it is not consistent with Minnesota’s law on bail and the risk assessment used by Hennepin County.” Moriarty said they would request that Londregan be ordered to surrender his passport and any firearms.
“Ryan Londregan stole my son from me,” said Cobb’s mother Nyra Fields-Miller in a statement released Wednesday by her attorneys. “He gunned Ricky down – for no reason while he was defenseless. Nothing can ever make up for that. But today’s decision is the first step toward closure and justice.”
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