From [HERE] A white Minnesota trooper who fatally shot a Black man during a routine traffic stop last July has had the charges against him dismissed.

Ryan Londregan, the white state trooper accused of killing Ricky Cobb II, 33, had faced charges of second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter.

In a statement Sunday night, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that the charges against Londregan would be thrown out. The dismissal comes after the defense said Londregan would testify that he saw Cobb "reach for the trooper's firearm," and that a Minnesota State Patrol trainer said "he never instructed officers to refrain from shooting into a moving vehicle."

As a result of this new “evidence,” prosecutors claimed they could no longer prove beyond a reasonable doubt "that Mr. Londregan's actions were not an authorized use of force by a peace officer," and decided to drop the case.

Moriarty expressed regret that she would not be able to bring the case to trial at a press conference Monday morning.

"Ricky Cobb should be alive today," she said. "And that makes our inability to move forward even more difficult for Mr. Cobb's family and for our community. And for that, I'm deeply sorry."

Civil rights attorneys Bakari Sellers, Harry Daniels and F. Clayton Tyler, who are representing the Cobb family, criticized the county attorney's office, saying they had "bowed to political pressure to drop the charges."

"Apparently, all you have to do to get away with murder is to bully the prosecutors enough and the charges will just go away," the attorneys said in a statement. "The people don't believe the excuses and neither do we."

Cobb was pulled over on July 31, 2023, around 1:50 a.m. -- initially because his taillights were out, but upon being stopped, troopers learned he was wanted for violating a protective order in a nearby county and were asked to take him into custody, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Bodycam footage shows two troopers talking to Cobb while they stood outside the car. The troopers attempted to detain Cobb, but he allegedly refused to exit the car and tried to drive away. One of the troopers appeared to try to grab the steering wheel to stop him, but he drove away, the body camera video shows. A trooper, since identified as Londregan, shot multiple times at Cobb, who drove a short distance before striking a median and dying at the scene, authorities said.

The video clearly shows that the Black was driving away from police, not toward them and in no way did they face imminent fear of harm from the Black man’s actions. Video evidence would potentially impeach the white cop’s claim that Cobb reached for his gun - as he drove away. But a jury won’t have an opportunity to decide as a result of the prosecutor’s failure to prosecute.

Hennepin County is a liberal jurisdiction controlled by elite white liberals.

Cobb's family filed a federal lawsuit in April against Londregan -- as well as Minnesota State Trooper Brett Seide, who was also involved in the traffic stop but was not charged in this case -- accusing them of "unreasonable seizure" and "excessive use of force."

According to the complaint:

Defendant Seide told Trooper Doe and Defendant Londregan that Ramsey County wanted Decedent Cobb arrested and brought to jail.

After a short discussion between the troopers, Defendant Seide approached the driver’s side of Decedent Cobb’s vehicle while Defendant Londregan approached the passenger side, and Trooper Doe positioned himself behind Defendant Seide near the rear of the vehicle.

At this point, Decedent Cobb’s vehicle was in park with its doors locked and both front windows rolled down.

Defendant Seide told Decedent Cobb that he needed to step out of the vehicle because they had “some stuff to talk about [having to do with] Ramsey County” and Decedent Cobb responded by asking why he was being required to leave his vehicle.

Defendant Seide repeated that they had “stuff to talk about” and that Decedent Cobb needed to step out of the vehicle, but did not divulge a reason for ordering Decedent Cobb out of the vehicle.

Decedent Cobb asked Defendant Seide if there was a warrant for his arrest and Defendant Seide acknowledged that Decedent Cobb was not subject to a warrant for his arrest, but indicated that he would “explain it all when you get out of the car.”

Defendant Seide thereafter asked Decedent Cobb to hand over his keys while Decedent Cobb repeated, “Why? Why?” and asked, “Can y’all keep it a buck with me, bro? Y’all pulled me over for my headlights.”

Defendant Seide then responded, “Yep. We’re way past that[,]” before telling Decedent Cobb to step out of the vehicle three more times.

Decedent Cobb asked “Where are we at though?”, and said “When you say, step out of the vehicle [and] you gonna – explain it to me,’ and then y’all say . . . ,” before Defendant Seide interjected and stated for the first time, “This is now a lawful arrest.”

Throughout the one-minute exchange, Decedent Cobb’s hands were in the air in full view of the troopers, including Defendant Seide and Defendant Londregan, as he gestured while talking and his vehicle remained in park.

Decedent Cobb’s hands were not touching the steering wheel or gear shifter, and he had not stepped on the brake.

Just as Defendant Seide told Decedent Cobb that he was under arrest, Defendant Londregan moved his hand into the inside of the passenger door, unlocked the vehicle’s doors, and began opening the passenger-side door.

While Defendant Londregan was opening the door, Decedent Cobb placed his foot on the brake and moved his hand to the transmission shift and, when Defendant Londregan pulled the passenger door fully open, Decedent Cobb shifted the vehicle into drive and took his foot off the brake.

At this point, Defendant Seide grabbed the driver’s side door handle and began opening the door while Decedent Cobb’s vehicle began to slowly move several feet forward.

Both Defendant Seide and Defendant Londregan, who were fully outside of the vehicle, took steps forward to remain at the vehicle’s side as Defendant Seide opened the driver’s side door wider.

Defendant Seide then leaned his torso inside the vehicle and began to reach over Decedent Cobb toward his seatbelt, while Defendant Londregan remained on the passenger side and reached for his firearm.

At that moment, Decedent Cobb stepped on the brake, stopping the vehicle’s forward movement and Defendant Londregan drew his firearm and pointed it directly at Decedent Cobb.

At the same time, Defendant Seide continued to lean his torso inside the vehicle over Decedent Cobb while Decedent Cobb kept his foot on the brake.

Defendant Londregan then opened the door to the car, leaned his torso inside the car, pointed his gun at Decedent Cobb’s body, and loudly and aggressively yelled, “Get out of the car now!”

As Defendant Londregan said the word “car”, Defendant Seide physically grabbed at Decedent Cobb and Decedent Cobb took his foot off the brake causing the vehicle to begin slowly moving forward.

Within several tenths of a second after Defendant Londregan yelled the word “now,” Defendant Londregan fired his handgun twice at Decedent Cobb’s torso, striking Decedent Cobb both times.

After Decedent Cobb was shot, his vehicle increased its acceleration forward as Defendant Seide’s torso remained inside the vehicle.

Defendant Seide, who acknowledged that by shooting Decedent Cobb, Defendant Londregan did not prevent Decedent Cobb’s vehicle from moving forward and did not prevent Decedent Cobb’s vehicle from dragging him briefly until he fell out of the vehicle onto the road.

BCA agents also attended an interview with the State Patrol’s lead use-of-force trainer, who provided use-of-force training to Defendant Seide and Defendant Londregan.

The trainer was asked whether a reasonable officer would believe that pointing a gun at a fleeing driver and yelling at the driver to stop would cause the driver to stop, to which the trainer responded “No.”

The trainer was further asked, “Would it be foreseeable to expect the exact opposite, meaning [the driver] would continue to leave?”, to which the trainer responded, “That was probably his intention was to flee the area, so he’s go[ing to] keep going in that direction away from me.”

In a press conference Monday, Londregan's attorney, Christopher Madel, called Moriarty’s claim that her team did not have prior knowledge of the trooper's allegation that he had shot Cobb while trying to protect himself and his partner “absurd." Madel also called for Moriarty's resignation over remarks she made comparing Londregan's supporters with "Jan. 6" rioters.

"I do take great offense to that," Madel said. "These are people that supported a hero that was charged with murder. When did that become wrong?"