Lawmakers, State Patrol React as Hennepin County Drops Murder Charges Against Trooper Ryan Londregan

(KNSI) — Lawmakers and the head of the Minnesota State Patrol are reacting to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s decision to drop the murder charges against Trooper Ryan Londregan.

Moriarty announced Sunday afternoon her office was dropping the case, citing new evidence that surfaced, causing her to believe they could not meet the burden of proof at trial. At a press conference on Monday, she said she was reluctant to drop the charges but stood by her decision to move forward with the case, given the evidence she had at the time. It was also revealed Governor Tim Walz was close to removing her from the case, which Moriarty told the Star Tribune he was doing because of her gender and sexual orientation, which Walz said was patently false.

Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig (CD2-MN), who is gay, stuck up for Walz, calling Moriarty’s accusations “ridiculous.” She also praised Walz for stepping in, saying it needed to happen. Craig, in the past, has criticized moving the case forward.

Walz has criticized the handling of the case, saying there were problems with the prosecution “from the beginning.”

The announcement to drop the case came just two days after Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell was ambushed and shot to death answering a call near an apartment building Thursday afternoon. Republican Congressman Pete Stauber (CD8-MN) said the increase in attacks on law enforcement is the direct result of soft-on-crime and anti-police agendas promoted by far-left officials, adding there is no better example of this dysfunction than Moriarty. Stauber blasted her for the political prosecution of Londregan while handing out light sentences to violent criminals.

The suspect who killed Mitchell had been convicted in a previous case and could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison, but was instead walking free while also having several warrants out for his arrest.

Newly pinned Col. Christina Bogojevic, the chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, issued a statement saying, “Our troopers work hard every day to keep Minnesota safe. They are in an increasingly difficult and dangerous line of work – but also more important than ever. The use of force that took Ricky Cobb II’s life unfolded in a fraction of a second. We acknowledge the loss felt by Mr. Cobb’s family. We also recognize the immense toll this incident has taken on our troopers and staff.

Following the announcement that charges against Trooper Ryan Londregan were dropped, we move forward with the same passion and commitment to safety and deep appreciation for the public’s support.

Trooper Londregan remains on paid leave while we conduct a critical incident review.”

Due to civil litigation, we cannot provide any additional comments.”

Londregan was charged in January with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II after he became uncooperative during a traffic stop in July and tried to flee, dragging Londregan and another trooper along Interstate 94 for several feet.

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