Charges dropped against US police officer who killed black driver in 2023

Prosecutors in Minnesota on Sunday dismissed charges against a police officer accused of negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of black motorist Ricky Cobb II last year, citing new evidence that weakens their case.

The Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office said the prosecution is not exonerating Officer Ryan Londregan, but simply believes it can no longer meet its burden of proof at trial.

When asked about the dismissal of the charges, defense attorney Christopher Madel replied in an email: “It was about time.”

Cobb’s killing occurred in the same city where George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in 2020, sparking worldwide protests for racial justice and drawing attention to the killing of black citizens by police across the United States.

During a traffic stop in July 2023, officers told Cobb he was wanted for another crime and they planned to arrest him, the criminal complaint states. Londregan shot Cobb after he put the car in gear and took his foot off the brake, the complaint states.

At the arraignment, prosecutors said they believed Londregan had not followed his training to shoot at a moving vehicle.

However, a state police instructor said officers were never instructed not to shoot at a moving vehicle; it was simply best practice, prosecutors said in a statement.

In addition, defense attorneys told the court at a pretrial hearing in April that Londregan was willing to testify that he saw Cobb reach for his gun, the statement said.

These two developments led the state to dismiss the case, the statement said.

“Ricky Cobb II should be alive today,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in the statement. “The question of whether we can prove a case in court is different than whether someone will be absolved of any wrongdoing.”

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