Attorneys for the state trooper who shot and killed Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop last week lashed out at Gov. Tim Walz and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for meeting with Cobb's family, a decision they claim undermines the due-process rights of their client during an ongoing investigation.
Attorney, advocates for trooper who shot Ricky Cobb decry state officials' meetings with his family
Trooper Ryan Londregran's attorneys called the private conversations 'troubling," while the state's largest law enforcement group claimed they present a conflict of interest.
August 11, 2023 at 3:36PM
In a three-page letter, Minneapolis defense attorney Christopher Madel called those private meetings "troubling" and "inappropriate."
"Impartial prosecutors are critical to the public's confidence that charging decisions follow the rule of law — and not political winds," said Madel, who represents Ryan Londregan, the rookie trooper who fired upon Cobb during an early-morning encounter along Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the shooting and will report its findings to Moriarty, who will ultimately decide whether Londregan was justified in using lethal force.
Cobb, 33, was pulled over about 1:50 a.m. July 31 near Dowling Avenue N. for driving without taillights. During the stop, troopers attempted to remove Cobb from the vehicle after learning that he was wanted for questioning in relation to an alleged felony-level violation of a standing domestic order for protection in Ramsey County.
From the passenger side, Londregan drew and fired his handgun as Cobb's hand was near the gear shift. The car then lurched forward, knocking down both troopers, footage from squad's dashcam and troopers' body-worn cameras shows.
In the immediate aftermath, Cobb's relatives called for Londregan to be fired and criminally charged. Many questioned whether the BCA was capable of conducting a truly independent inquiry into a fellow state agency. Walz promised Cobb's mother, Nyra Fields-Miller, a "transparent, thorough and fast investigation."
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association's (MPPOA) defense fund contends that shots were fired at Cobb after he put the car into gear. The defense fund is paying Londregan's attorney, Madel.
In his memo to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Madel says he remains confident that if prosecutors conduct an impartial review of the evidence they will conclude that Londregan acted "not only properly, but heroically."
Madel goes on to demand that Moriarty's office "collect, retain, and preserve" any documents related to meetings and communications between the Cobb family and members of her staff.
In response to the letter, a spokesman for Moriarty released a statement reiterating an inability to discuss this case until the BCA has completed its investigation.
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"No PR stunts will change that. The integrity of this process is too important for everyone — the family of Ricky Cobb, the troopers involved, and the broader community," said Nick Kimball. "Once the case is submitted to us for review, we will use all the resources available to analyze the evidence and make a decision as quickly as possible."
Moriarty acknowledged meeting with Cobb's family earlier in the week — as in previous cases — saying she listened to relatives' "hopes for the process" without discussing facts of the case.
"Accessibility and transparency are important and it is standard for County Attorney Moriarty to meet with families when it is requested," according to a written statement.
One day after Walz met with Cobb's grieving relatives at the State Capitol, the MPPOA also penned a letter to lodge its concerns — particularly when the two state agencies involved are part of the Walz administration.
"We all want the integrity of the investigation — as well the perception of the integrity of the investigation and charging decisions — to be fair and to follow the impartial rule of law," wrote Imran Ali, a former Washington County attorney who serves as the organization's general counsel. "This private meeting, called 'important' by Cobb's family, with unknown assurances and information, specifically undermines the due process, rule of law, and rights of our law enforcement officers."
Such meetings with top state leaders are not uncommon.
Walz has met with the victim's families of other high-profile police killings in recent years and regularly attends their public memorials. In 2021, following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter, Walz issued a proclamation calling for a statewide moment of silence during the first two minutes of Wright's funeral, from noon to 12:02 p.m.
"While nothing can bring Daunte Wright back to his loved ones, we must continue to work to enact real, meaningful change at the local, state, and national levels to fight systemic racism so that every person in Minnesota — Black, Indigenous, Brown, or White — can be safe and thrive," the proclamation said.
He later invited the Wright family to breakfast at the governor's residence in St. Paul. They dined together two days before Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office would prosecute the case.
However, unlike the State Patrol, the agencies involved in those lethal force cases were not under his direct jurisdiction. A spokeswoman for Walz's office declined to comment on the matter.
Cobb is expected to be buried Saturday.
Read Madel's letter to Moriarty:
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