By Anthony Gockowski
HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. – Two more Minnesota State Patrol trainers have signed sworn declarations saying Trooper Ryan Londregan appears to have “acted in accordance with his training” when he shot Ricky Cobb II last summer.
The declarations, obtained by Alpha News, were signed by Lt. Jonathan Wenzel and Trooper Troy Morrell, who is now retired. According to the declarations, Wenzel was the firearms coordinator and Morrell was the emergency vehicle operations coordinator during the State Patrol’s 2021 training academy, which was attended by Londregan.
In March, the use-of-force coordinator at that training academy, Sgt. Jason Halvorson, also signed a sworn declaration stating Londregan “acted in accordance with his training.”
This has prompted the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) to send a second letter to Gov. Tim Walz asking him to transfer Londregan’s case from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office.
“Recent events have now made this request even more imperative … not only has the HCAO’s own use-of-force expert stated that Trooper Londregan acted reasonably, but now each of Trooper Londregan’s State Patrol trainers has provided the defense with sworn declarations stating that Trooper Londregan (1) acted in accordance with his training; and (2) did not violate the Minnesota’s State Patrol’s use-of-force policy,” says the April 3 letter.
Londregan, 27, is a Minnesota state trooper who has been charged with three felonies stemming from a July 2023 incident in which he shot and killed Cobb, a convicted felon who allegedly had ties to a Minneapolis gang. The state trooper shot Cobb to prevent him from harming another state trooper who was dragged a short distance by Cobb’s vehicle.
In January, Moriarty announced that her office would file charges against Londregan, who is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter.
In that time, Moriarty has faced significant public scrutiny for her handling of the case, so much so that six of Minnesota’s eight members of Congress have expressed support for transferring the case out of her office to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
“The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s own hired expert found Trooper Londregan acted lawfully. Now we’re hearing that State Patrol’s own trainers, who Moriarty interviewed in and out of the grand jury, say he ALSO acted lawfully,” said MPPOA executive director Brian Peters.
“It’s past time to reassign this case away from Moriarty to best serve a fair and honest judicial system — and not an unjust prosecution. Governor — for the sake of fairness and for the sake of our public safety and judicial system — transfer this case away from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.”
Mike LeDoux, president of the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association, said the organization “fully supports” the request to “reassign the Londregan matter to a new, independent, and fair prosecutor.”
“Quite literally 100% of our State Troopers are appalled this case was ever filed in the first place and believe it must be dismissed.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
