A federal judge has ruled against a civil rights lawsuit involving a Minnesota state trooper who was involved in the shooting death of a Black man during a traffic stop last year. The case revolved around the actions of Trooper Ryan Londregan, who fatally shot Ricky Cobb II, and the judge determined that Londregan’s conduct did not constitute a violation of the law.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel approved Londregan’s request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Cobb’s family. In her ruling, she concluded that Londregan acted reasonably given the circumstances when he discharged his firearm at Cobb, who was in a vehicle that began moving forward with another trooper partially inside. Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit involving another officer, Trooper Brett Seide, is still in progress.
The incident took place on July 31, 2023, when Cobb, a 33-year-old man from Spring Lake Park, was pulled over on Interstate 94 due to his car’s non-functioning lights. The troopers discovered that Cobb was wanted for breaching a domestic no-contact order in Ramsey County. Trooper Londregan responded to the scene to provide assistance.
As the officers instructed Cobb to exit his vehicle, he shifted into drive and lifted his foot off the brake. When the car began to move slowly, Londregan drew his weapon. Cobb stopped the vehicle; however, when he again took his foot off the brake, Londregan, with another trooper partially inside the vehicle, fired two shots, hitting Cobb in the chest.
Initially, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office brought murder charges against Londregan in January, marking the case as a significant public issue reminiscent of the protests that followed the killing of George Floyd in 2020. However, by June, the County Attorney retracted the charges, citing new evidence that complicated the case’s viability.
Cobb’s family filed their lawsuit in April, claiming that both Londregan and Seide employed excessive force and conducted an unreasonable search and seizure against Cobb.
After the dismissal of the lawsuit, Londregan’s lawyer, Chris Madel, stated it had been a “long, grueling journey to justice” for his client. Conversely, Bakari Sellers, who represents Cobb’s family, expressed that they are contemplating an appeal or possibly revising their complaint against Londregan.