Use-of-force trainer said Trooper Londregan followed training in deadly shooting
A use-of-force trainer for the Minnesota State Patrol said he believes the trooper charged with murder for a deadly shooting during a traffic stop last summer followed his training, according to a defense filing Wednesday.
In the filing, Sgt. Jason Halvorson accused a senior prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office of taking his statements out of context and lying “by omission” to write the charging document against Ryan Londregan.
Londregan is facing second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter charges for shooting Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on July 31.
The case has already been contentious in the pre-trial stage and is becoming more political, with some now calling on the governor to intervene and take the case away from the attorney’s office.
In the defense filing, Halvorson said he explained to prosecutors that use-of-force actions or “situationally dependent” but added that “Trooper Londregan acted in accordance with his training.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office called claims in the filing false, adding, “There is significant evidence that supports the charges in this case. The complaint is accurate and lays out the evidence to establish probable cause.”
The statement also says the filing doesn’t reference evidence from when Halvorson testified in front of a grand jury, evidence the office says can’t legally be revealed at this stage of the proceedings.
“Unfortunately, the defense continues to inappropriately use the court process to file baseless press releases. … We will address the voluminous defense filings and litigate the case in court, and not in the press,” the attorney’s office added.
Republican members of the House of Representatives from Minnesota on Wednesday sent a letter to Governor Walz, urging him to remove the case from Moriarty’s office:
Wednesday afternoon, Congresswoman Angie Craig also weighed in on the case, calling for the state to take over or reassign prosecution away from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday morning.