Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty initially charged Londregan with second-degree murder and other charges, but later dropped them after reviewing new evidence.
Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan charged with fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky Cobb II dropped.
New evidence emerged suggesting Cobb was attempting to take Trooper Londregan's gun during altercation.
In a series of shocking developments, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has dropped charges against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan for the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis. The decision comes after new evidence emerged that Londregan believed Cobb was attempting to take his gun away from him during the altercation.
Cobb, who was wanted for violating a protection order at the time of the traffic stop, refused to get out of his car and there was a physical altercation between him and Londregan and another trooper. The incident resulted in Cobb being shot twice by Londregan.
Moriarty initially charged Londregan with second-degree murder and other charges, but after reviewing new evidence, she announced Sunday evening that she would no longer pursue the case against him. In a statement, Moriarty said:
Gov. Tim Walz announced his intention to remove Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty from the prosecution of state trooper Ryan Londregan for the shooting of Ricky Cobb II due to ethical concerns.
Moriarty dropped murder and manslaughter charges against Londregan based on new evidence and ethical concerns.
An expert’s analysis of the video from the scene showed Cobb’s hand flailing upward, making the shooting lawful according to Moriarty.
Accuracy
Moriarty criticized Gov. Walz for past comments on her handling of the case and accused him of bias.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author quotes Moriarty's statements about her decision to dismiss the charges against Ryan Londregan due to new evidence, but fails to mention that she also raised ethical concerns about proceeding with the case. The author only reports on Walz's comments about removing Moriarty from the prosecution and his criticism of her handling of the case, without providing any context or balance. The article also uses emotional language such as 'vicious attacks', 'political consequences for me', and 'tragic' to manipulate readers' emotions towards Moriarty and Walz.
The article uses emotional language such as 'vicious attacks', 'political consequences for me', and 'tragic' to manipulate readers' emotions towards Moriarty and Walz.
The author only reports on Walz's comments about removing Moriarty from the prosecution without providing any context or balance.
Fallacies
(85%)
The authors make several appeals to authority when they quote Moriarty's statements about new evidence and the expert analysis of the video. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe the actions of law enforcement officers as creating a 'gauntlet' for the Cobb family and comparing it to January 6th. However, no formal fallacies were found.
][Moriarty] said Monday at a news conference, describing law enforcement showing up to protest the prosecution at several court dates: Some of them taunted Ricky Cobb’s twin brother, Rashad. Members of our staff were frightened at the spectacle, which reminded them of Jan. 6.[/
Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan is no longer facing charges for the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky Cobb II in July 2023.
During the traffic stop, Cobb refused to get out of his car and there was a physical altercation between him and Londregan and another trooper.
New information emerged last week that Londregan planned to argue he fired because he thought Cobb was attempting to take his gun away from him.
Londregan's trainer provided a declaration stating he didn't train the trooper to refrain from pulling people out of a running car.
Accuracy
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the decision to drop charges against Londregan on Sunday.
Cobb was pulled over for not having his taillights on at night and was wanted in a neighboring county when the shooting occurred.
Londregan ordered Cobb to get out of the car after determining he was wanted in a neighboring county.
Moriarty feared a judge would dismiss the case before it went to trial and believed they wouldn’t be able to get a conviction.
Deception
(70%)
The article reports new information that was not available during the initial charging of Trooper Londregan. This new information includes Londregan's plan to argue he fired because he thought Cobb was attempting to take his gun away and a declaration from Londregan's trainer. These facts were not disclosed during the initial investigation, and their inclusion in the article could potentially influence readers to question the initial charges against Londregan. This is an example of selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position, which is that there was insufficient evidence to convict Londregan at trial.
In addition, Londregan’s trainer provided a declaration saying he didn’t train the trooper to refrain from pulling people out of a running car.
The video doesn’t prove that, and it doesn’t disprove what Londregan says.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an inflammatory rhetoric and a dichotomous depiction of the incident. The author presents the prosecutor's decision to drop charges against Trooper Londregan as a 'hard decision' and quotes attorneys for Cobb's family expressing disappointment, implying a clear-cut case of injustice. However, no formal fallacies were identified.
The criminal charges against a Minnesota state trooper who fatally shot a Black motorist... are being dropped...
Minnesota county attorney Mary Moriarty dropped the case against state trooper Ryan Londregan accused in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky Cobb II.
Trooper Ryan Londregan shot Ricky Cobb twice as he tried to drive away during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis.
Ricky Cobb was wanted for violating a protection order at the time of the traffic stop.
Accuracy
,
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to emotion when stating 'Ricky Cobb II should still be alive today' and 'the state of Minnesota has repeatedly demonstrated that Black lives simply are not valued'. These statements do not provide any logical reasoning or evidence for the fallacy they are trying to convey.
][The author] Ricky Cobb II should still be alive today.[/
][The author] the state of Minnesota has repeatedly demonstrated that Black lives simply are not valued.
Bias
(95%)
The author expresses a clear bias against the Minnesota county attorney for dropping the charges against the trooper. The author also quotes and endorses statements from Cobb's family that accuse law enforcement of not valuing Black lives and getting away with murder.
"Regardless of how many absurd excuses Trooper Londregan gives to try and absolve himself, he shot and killed Ricky Cobb II at point blank range without any justification and, instead of prosecuting him for murder, the County Attorney's Office has bowed to political pressure to drop the charges."
"the state of Minnesota has repeatedly demonstrated that Black lives simply are not valued whether its Daunte Demetrius Wright, Philando Castile or Ricky Cobb II."
