Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan has pleaded not guilty to charges against him for his role in a deadly shooting last summer during a traffic stop on Interstate 94.

“I plead innocent, your honor,” he said during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

During that proceeding, Hennepin County District Judge Tamara Garcia also set a trial date for September.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 9, with the trial expected to last about three weeks. A pre-trial hearing is set for Aug. 12.

Earlier in the day, Garcia admitted five outside attorneys hired by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to prosecute the case.

Multiple orders were filed Wednesday morning, granting Ryan Poscablo, Michael Bromwich, Myles Ashong, Karima Maloney and Steven Levin to act as plaintiff counsel.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, a contract between the county and the law firm Steptoe runs through Dec. 31, 2025. Maloney, Bromwich, Poscablo and Levin are all being retained from that firm, and the agreement shows a pay rate of $250 per hour for paralegals and a rate of $850 per hour for the lawyers.

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However, paperwork filed Tuesday and Wednesday shows a request and the granting of Ashong’s addition to the plaintiff team. Ashong is also with Steptoe, but it isn’t clear at this time if the contract has been adjusted to reflect his expenses.

At one point, the defense argued to the judge to have the new lawyers removed from the case but later decided to withdraw that request.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty later told county commissioners that her office is dealing with staffing challenges and that’s why the special prosecutors are needed.

Moriarty’s office already has a $1 million expense for out-of-state attorneys in its existing budget, and a statement from her office said earlier this week that the deal with the special prosecutors will be paid for “without burdening taxpayers with any additional expense.”

Londregan, 27, has been charged with unintentional murder, manslaughter and assault for the death of Ricky Cobb II, who was fatally shot last summer on I-94 in Minneapolis while trying to drive away from a traffic stop.

Neither the state, defense nor Cobb’s family had any comment after Wednesday’s hearing.

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For 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS’ complete coverage on the Londregan case, CLICK HERE.