Lawsuit filed by family of man killed by soldier dismissed

MINNEAPOLIS — 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 Brazel granted Trooper Ryan Londregan’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against him by the family of Ricky Cobb II. Brazel found that Londregan did not act unreasonably when he fired his weapon at Cobb as the man’s car began to move forward with another state trooper inside. The lawsuit against the second soldier, Brett Seide, is still pending.

Seide and a third trooper stopped Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 on July 31, 2023, because his car’s lights went out. They discovered that Spring Lake Park man wanted for violating a no-contact stay-at-home order in neighboring Ramsey County. Londregan arrived to help.

While officers were asking Cobb to get out of the car, he shifted into gear and took his foot off the brake. As Cobb’s car began to slowly move forward, Londregan reached for his gun. Cobb stopped. Londregan pointed the gun at Cobb and yelled at him to leave. Cobb again took his foot off the brake while the other soldier’s torso was at least partially in the car. Londregan then shot Cobb twice, hitting him in the chest both times.

In January, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office accused Londregan of murder. It became politically charged case in the city where murder of George Floyd police called in 2020 global protests demanding racial justice. Then, in June, the district attorney reluctantly dropped the charges v. Londregan, arguing that new evidence would make it more difficult to prove the case.

Cobb family filed a lawsuit in April accused Londregan and Seyde of excessive use of force and unreasonable searches and detentions.

After the lawsuit was dismissed, Londregan’s lawyer Chris Madel told the publication Minnesota Star Tribune that it was a “long and grueling road to justice” for Londregan. Bakari Sellers, an attorney representing Cobb’s family, said the family is considering appealing the decision or amending its complaint against Londregan.