Charges have been dismissed against a state trooper in connection with the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man during a traffic stop last July, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Sunday, saying that in light of new information prosecutors felt unable to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the use of force was not necessary.

Trooper Ryan Londegran was charged with murder in the shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II, who failed to get out of his car during a July traffic stop and took his foot off the brake when officers tried to arrest him.

“Ricky Cobb II should still be alive today,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in the press release. “Today’s necessary decision does not change that fact, nor does it exonerate Mr. Londregan or the methods his supervisors used to train him in difficult situations. The question of whether we can prove a case at trial is different than clearing a person of any wrongdoing. There are so many points at which Mr. Londregan could have handled the situation differently, and if he had, Ricky Cobb might still be alive. But that is not the question before us as prosecutors; the only question is whether we can still prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred given this new evidence. The answer to that question is no, and I would violate my ethical duties if I nonetheless continued with the case.”

New evidence

The decision was made after new evidence was presented in court by defense lawyers, she said.

The press release said that in court on April 29, the defense said that Londregan was going to testify that he saw Cobb reach for the trooper’s firearm shortly before he fired shots that killed Cobb. In addition, there was also going to be testimony saying that trainers never told troopers not to shoot into moving vehicles during “an extraction, even though that is best practice.”

Because of this information, prosecutors consulted with a use of force expert to see if they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that deadly force was not justified, the press release said.

Earlier, when announcing the charges of second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Londregan’s use of deadly force against Cobb, a 33-year-old Black man, was not justified.

“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. That did not exist in this case,” Moriarty said at the time.

Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel called his client “a hero,” saying Londregan, 27, was trying to protect himself and a fellow trooper. Madel filed papers seeking to have the case dismissed or at least to have Moriarty removed from the case.

Stopped on Interstate 94

Londregan shot Cobb after two other troopers pulled him over on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis when he saw the lights were out on the Ford Fusion that Cobb was driving, according to the criminal complaint.

One of the troopers, Brett Seide, checked Cobb’s record and found he was wanted for violating an order for protection in neighboring Ramsey County. There was no outstanding arrest warrant, however, so the troopers checked with Ramsey County officials to find out if they wanted Cobb taken into custody, the complaint said.

Ramsey County asked that he be arrested. By then, Londregan had arrived.

Seide approached the driver’s side of Cobb’s car while Londregan went to the passenger door, according to the complaint.

The troopers asked Cobb to get out of the car, whose doors were locked and front windows down. Seide told Cobb he was under arrest while Londregan reached inside, unlocked the doors and began opening the passenger door. The complaint said Cobb then shifted the car into drive and took his foot off the brake.

According to the complaint, Cobb’s car began to slowly move forward. Londregan reached for his gun. Cobb stopped the car. The trooper pointed his gun at Cobb and yelled, “Get out of the car now!” Cobb took his foot off the brake again. Within less than a second, Londregan fired his handgun twice at Cobb, striking him both times in the chest, the complaint said.

The car accelerated forward while Seide’s torso was still inside. Seide and Londregan tried to keep up with the car for several feet before falling. The car collided with a concrete median about a quarter mile (400 meters) away.

The troopers caught up, pulled Cobb out and attempted lifesaving measures. Cobb was pronounced dead at the scene.

This story contains information from the Associated Press.

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DULUTH, Minn. — DFL delegates engaged in lively debate during their state convention in Duluth this weekend and came out with a cemented party platform and an endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“The most important thing about the convention is picking a candidate to lead our party’s ticket in November, and we united overwhelmingly behind Amy Klobuchar,” DFL Party spokesperson Darwin Forsyth said. “Meanwhile, Minnesota Republicans are mired in divisive costly primaries for Senate, Congress, and competitive legislative seats — with a convicted felon leading their party.”

Delegates this weekend voted on 113 different resolutions to add to the party platform, endorsed Klobuchar for reelection to the Senate, nominated national delegates and heard speeches from prominent Minnesota DFLers including Gov. Tim Walz.

Points of contention

While the convention overall was seemingly smooth, some points of contention did emerge surrounding Klobuchar’s endorsement, mining in northern Minnesota, and the war in Gaza.

Klobuchar, three times elected since 2006, faced no official Democrat challengers and an attempt to nominate another candidate failed to get the amount of support needed.

That nomination was led by a progressive anti-war wing of the DFL that tried to confront Klobuchar on the war in Gaza.

The Gaza issue led to some passionate speeches over the weekend. Views on what the party policy should be towards the war, Israel and the Palestinian people were diverse. Several dozen protesters joined party delegates outside the Duluth Convention Center on Saturday.

They called for a ceasefire and for U.S. divestment from Israel due to their belief that the country has failed to adhere to international norms in warfare.

Resolution on Israel

One of the resolutions, which would make it party policy to define as anti-Semitic denials of Israel’s right to exist as a country, was met with resistance from seven Jewish delegates.

The delegates, in a statement, said the resolution ignores Jewish disagreement with Zionism, which calls to sustain a “Jewish state” within the historical lands of Palestine. That resolution, which condemns antisemitism, was amended to take the contested language out and delegates approved the resolution on Sunday.

For context, the DFL current platform recognizes “Israel’s right to exist within secure borders, Palestinian rights to self-determination, and continued peace efforts in the Middle East.”

Meanwhile, another resolution relating to Gaza which called for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and release of hostages and prisoners was approved. Others dealing with civilian safety, Palestinian rights, political prisoners and funding U.N. relief work were not approved.

Copper-nickel mining

Also at issue this weekend were concerns about copper-nickel mining, an issue that pitted the DFL’s union members against its environmental wing.

A resolution to support a legislative hearing on the “Prove It First” legislation was amended to simply support a legislative hearing on copper-nickel mining in general. The “Prove It First” legislation would require proof a copper-nickel mine has operated in the U.S. for 10 years without causing pollution and had closed for 10 years without causing pollution. Delegates approved the amended resolution on Sunday.

While proponents of the “Prove It First” legislation did not support the amendment, they view it as a step forward, said delegate Chris Knopf.

Knopf is also the executive director for Friends of the Boundary Waters, an environmental group that seeks stronger protections for Minnesota’s ecosystem.

Republicans took a swing at DFLers over the mining debate.

“It is crystal clear — the DFL is the anti-mining party and will do anything they can to stifle us,” Rep. Peter Stauber wrote on social media. Stauber represents northeastern Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Knopf said claims that the DFL is against mining in general is a distortion of the truth.

“We’re not against taconite mining,” he said, adding that copper-nickel mining presents a much different level of risk in regards to clean water in the state.

A look into DFL campaign strategy

The weekend also gave a window into what the DFL campaign strategy will be this election season.

DFL leaders and politicians boasted about the party’s successes in Minnesota while condemning the MAGA movement during their state convention.

“We’re heading into the general election with a record of delivering for working families on issues like free school meals and paid family leave,” DFL spokesperson Forsyth said. “Republicans will have to defend an extreme and unpopular agenda, from banning abortion to tax cuts to the rich.”

Trump’s recent conviction has given Democrats a talking point that likely will be repeated during the election season. The former president was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a woman before the 2016 election.

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