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The family of Ricky Cobb II is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Cobb’s killing by a Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan last July. The move comes after murder and manslaughter charges against Londregan were dropped this week by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. 

At a press conference in the Hennepin County Government Center on Tuesday morning, members of Cobb’s family called for groups like the NAACP of Minneapolis to peacefully protest the decision.

“We’re asking for call to action, from the NAACP, civic organizations, our divine nines, the churches, all of those ‘progressives’ that say that they reside in Minnesota — all of those good folk that have good common hearts and good spirits that reside here in Minneapolis,” said Cobb family attorney Bakari Sellers. 

Cobb’s brother Rashad Cobb said the system failed his brother. 

“The only ones who can run around playing wild, wild west games are the ones who are supposed to uphold the law?” Rashad Cobb said. “When we don’t uphold the law, we do time or we get charged for the crime. So why do we look at police who murder and don’t get charged?”


Moriarty has said she made the decision partly after hearing defense attorneys argue that Cobb was reaching for Londregan’s gun and that the trooper was in fear for his life. Sellers said he’s never seen a prosecutor drop charges based on such a commonplace defense argument. 

“Every officer in the United States of America that’s been charged or accused of shooting someone unarmed has stated that they have been in fear for their life,” Sellers said. “So trooper Londregan’s excuse is not anything new.”

Sellers said Moriarty also told the family that her office didn’t have enough manpower to prosecute the case. The prosecution’s case was thrown into disarray when the lead attorney removed himself from it.







Charges dropped against state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II





Governor hasn’t ruled out reassigning state trooper case to attorney general





As charges are dismissed Moriarty defends decision to charge state trooper and criticizes ‘political circus’







Moriarty received approval from the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to bring in an outside law firm at a cost of up to $1 million. Outside attorneys from Steptoe LLP made their one appearance in court last month. 

The special prosecutors released recommendations for the State Patrol from the case, including a prohibition on shooting into or from a moving vehicle and a greater emphasis on de-escalation. 

The prosecution was controversial from the very start, with police groups organizing protests at court hearings and calling for Gov. Tim Walz to remove Moriarty from the case.


Moriarty has condemned the “political circus” around the case and accused Londregan’s supporters of harassing members of Cobb’s family outside hearings, which an official with the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association denied. 

Cobb was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis in July of 2023. Londregan and a partner were seeking to force Cobb from his vehicle when he shifted the car into drive and it began to pull away. Londregan fired multiple times into the car. Cobb’s car came to a stop at the side of the freeway and he was declared dead at the scene.

Public schools in Minnesota have a growing need to be equipped for a wide range of temperatures. School years in the state can be hot and muggy on either end and freezing in the middle.

And if students are uncomfortable, it’s difficult to focus on learning. A high school on the East Side of Saint Paul is wrapping up its first year with a new heating and cooling system that draws energy from the ground.

The district plans to install more of these geothermal systems at two other schools as part of its goal of cutting greenhouse gas pollution. The district is joining a larger wave of investments in geothermal energy.

Sahan Journal climate and environment reporter Andrew Hazzard wrote about the district’s switch and joined Minnesota Now to talk about it.

The World Health Organization says more than 1 billion teens and young adults are at risk of permanent hearing loss due to “unsafe listening practices.”

Those unsafe habits are made up largely from the rise of daily earbud use.

Peggy Nelson is an audiology professor at the University of Minnesota. She joined Minnesota Now to explain day to day risks to our hearing outside of people who work with loud machinery or attend the occasional rock concert.

Each month, Dr. Jon Hallberg joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about topics that are important to your health and take a deep dive into medical news.

Hallberg is a family medicine physician at Mill City Clinic and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

In this installment of Vital Signs, he addressed how weight loss drugs are changing the conversation around obesity and the new reality of marijuana usage.

On Monday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced she will drop murder charges against the state trooper who shot Ricky Cobb II last summer.

A juror in the Feeding our Future trial was offered a $120,000 bag of cash if they voted to acquit. An MPR News reporter who’s been following the trial broke down the situation.

We heard about memorial plans for Officer Jamal Mitchell who was shot and killed in the line of duty in Minneapolis last Thursday.

Plus, education programs for students who qualify for migrant status are kicking off for the summer. We spoke with a program coordinator about their value.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has dropped charges against state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of motorist Ricky Cobb II.

Londregan was one of three troopers who tried to arrest Cobb during a traffic stop last summer in Minneapolis. Cobb tried to drive away and Londregan shot into the vehicle. Londregan pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges last month.

Moriarty explained the choice to drop charges in a press conference Monday morning. Some of Moriarty’s most pointed statements were aimed at a prominent law enforcement association, which she accused of helping the defense drum up a “political circus,” making the situation more difficult for the family of Ricky Cobb II.

MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox joined guest host Nina Moini to break down what Moriarty said in the press conference. Imran Ali, the General Counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, then responded to the county attorney’s remarks.