Charges dropped against state trooper who fatally shot Black motorist Ricky Cobb II

(CNN) – The criminal charges against a Minnesota state trooper who fatally shot a Black motorist during a traffic stop in Minneapolis last year are being dropped, the lead prosecutor announced Sunday. “I have made the decision that our office will no longer pursue charges against Minnesota State Trooper Londregan for the killing of Mr. Cobb,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an open letter to the community. Trooper Ryan Londregan was charged in January with second-degree murder and other charges in the July 2023 fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II, a Black man who was pulled over in his vehicle on I-94 for not having his taillights on at night. Londregan, who is White, ordered Cobb to get out of his car after determining he was wanted in a neighboring county. Cobb refused and was shot during a physical altercation when Londregan and another trooper attempted to enter the vehicle and grab Cobb. Londregan was charged with second-degree murder in January, but Moriarty said Monday she did not believe prosecutors could convict him at trial. “Make no mistake, Ricky Cobb was the victim in this case. Ricky Cobb should be alive today,” she said in a news conference....