A federal judge has dismissed a civil rights lawsuit against a white Minnesota state trooper who shot and killed a Black man during a traffic stop last year, ruling that the trooper's actions did not violate the law.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel granted Trooper Ryan Londregan's motion to dismiss the suit filed against him by the family of Ricky Cobb II. Brasel found that Londregan did not act unreasonably when he fired his weapon at Cobb as the man's vehicle began moving forward with another state trooper partly inside. A suit against a second trooper, Brett Seide, remains pending.
Seide and a third trooper pulled the 33-year-old Cobb over on Interstate 94 on July 31, 2023, because the lights were out on his car. They found that the Spring Lake Park man was wanted for violating a domestic no-contact order in neighboring Ramsey County. Londregan arrived to assist.
While the troopers were telling Cobb to get out of the car, he shifted into drive and took his foot off the brake. When Cobb’s car began to slowly move forward, Londregan reached for his gun. Cobb stopped. Londregan pointed his gun at Cobb and yelled at him to get out. Cobb took his foot off the brake again while another trooper’s torso was at least partially in the car. Londregan then fired twice at Cobb, striking him both times in the chest.
In January, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged Londregan with murder. It became a politically charged case in the city where the killing of George Floyd by police in 2020 sparked global protests demanding racial justice. Then in June, the County Attorney reluctantly dropped the charges against Londregan, arguing that new evidence would have made the case difficult to prove.
Cobb's family filed its lawsuit in April accusing Londregan and Seide of excessive use of force and unreasonable search and seizure.
Following the lawsuit's dismissal, Londregan’s attorney, Chris Madel, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice" for Londregan. Bakari Sellers, an attorney representing Cobb’s family, said the family is considering appealing the decision or amending their complaint against Londregan.
