New prosecutors to be brought in for Minnesota State Trooper's murder case

New prosecutors are being brought in to help the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in the murder case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan, who appeared for a hearing on Monday in downtown Minneapolis .

Londregan is charged in the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II , who was stopped by Minnesota State Patrol troopers on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis last year, and was fatally shot by Londregan as he tried to drive away with two troopers hanging onto the car.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has been under scrutiny over her decision to bring charges against Londregan, and ahead of Monday's hearing there was a change in her team when lead prosecutor Joshua Larson vacated his role and was replaced by Chris Freeman.

In a statement issued later on Monday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said it's retaining a team of former federal prosecutors from the law firm Steptoe LLP to assist. Their roles will be deputized special assistant Hennepin County attorneys, according to a release.

Freeman requested in court that the judge grant more time to allow the new federal attorneys get caught up on Londregan's case, saying a similar process happened during the prosecutions of former officers Derek Chauvin and Jeronimo Yanez.

“Our goal in this case, as in every case, is to achieve a just process and outcome, public transparency, and accountability for the harm that has been caused,” Moriarty said in a statement.

“It is clear this case will be extremely resource intensive and will involve extensive litigation prior to trial. These former federal prosecutors with impeccable credentials will be singularly focused on this case while the rest of our team continues the critical work of prosecuting the high volume of other serious cases that are central to safety in our community.”

The attorneys selected are Karima Maloney, Michael Bromwich, Ryan Poscablo and Steven Levin.

Moriarty had previously requested authority to hire outside attorneys from the Hennepin County Board, which will consider the proposal on Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Walz is still mulling over whether Moriarty will retain full authority over the Londregan case, or if he will appoint Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over, after criticism from policing unions who believe Londregan's use of force was justified and Moriarty's prosecution malicious.

On Monday, Hennepin County District Court Judge Tamara Garcia set a May 15 hearing date to schedule deadlines and a trial date. According to court records, an omnibus hearing has been scheduled for June 10 to consider the defense's motions to drop charges due to lack of probable cause, alleging prosecutors engaged in misconduct.

The hearing on Monday also saw supporters of Londregan and supporters of Cobb gathering at the Hennepin County Government Center, at times clashing.

Videos and photos posted online show supporters of the Minnesota trooper wearing shirts that say "We stand with Trooper Londregan" and "Trooper Londregan is innocent." Londregan and his family were met with cheers and applause when they arrived.

While Londregan's attorney, Chris Madel, briefed reporters at the courthouse, chants of "Ricky Cobb II" broke out.

The incident

Londregan fatally shot Cobb during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 near Lowry Avenue in Minneapolis on July 31, 2023.

Londregan has since been charged with 2nd-degree unintentional murder, 2nd-degree manslaughter and 1st-degree assault. Moriarty filed the charges six months after the event, which has since drawn criticism from law enforcement unions.

Londregan and trooper Brett Seide entered the vehicle to forcibly remove Cobb when he refused to get out after being pulled over. Cobb then started to drive away, with Londregan firing his weapon before both troopers were thrown from the vehicle as it moved down the freeway.

Cobb's vehicle slowed to a stop against a concrete divider. He died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said during a search of Cobb's vehicle, a handgun was found behind the center console in the back of the car. However, at no point in the body camera footage does Cobb attempt to reach for or use it, which the BCA also confirmed it its investigation.

Cobb was initially stopped due to driving without tail lights on, and troopers soon learned that he was wanted on a "probable arrest for a felony order-for-protection" violation in Ramsey County. Seide was the trooper who initially pulled Cobb over.

Another trooper, Garrett Erickson, also arrived at the scene.

If Londregan is later convicted of the murder charge, sentencing guidelines result in 12 to 15 years in prison.

Both Londregan and Seide are named in a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Cobb, who claim the two used "excessive force and unlawful seizure" that resulted in the Minneapolis man's death.