Midwest
Prosecutors drop charges against Minnesota trooper in deadly shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb
A Minnesota county attorney has decided to drop a case against a state trooper accused in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky Cobb II.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the decision Sunday evening.
“Ricky Cobb II should still be alive today,” Moriarty said in a statement. “There are so many points at which Mr. Londregan could have handled the situation differently, and if he had, Ricky Cobb might still be alive. But that is not the question before us as prosecutors; the only question is whether we can still prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred given this new evidence. The answer to that question is no, and I would violate my ethical duties if I nonetheless continued with the case.”
Troopers pulled the 33-year-old Cobb over on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on July 31 because the lights were out on his car. They then found that the Spring Lake Park man was wanted for violating a protection order in neighboring Ramsey County. Trooper Ryan Londregan, 27, shot Cobb twice as Cobb tried to drive away after troopers ordered him to get out of his car.
MINNESOTA TROOPER ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING MOTORIST TO REMAIN FREE WITHOUT BAIL, JUDGE RULES
Trooper Ryan Londregan walks with his wife to his first court appearance related to the killing of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop, Jan. 29, 2024, at the Hennepin Public Safety Facility in Minneapolis. (Renée Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP, File)
Moriarty filed a notice to dismiss the charges after Londregan’s defense team revealed prospective testimony during an April court hearing that the trooper believed Cobb was reaching for a firearm – and that a Minnesota State Patrol trainer said he never instructed officers to refrain from shooting into a moving vehicle.
The evidence would have made it impossible for prosecutors to prove that Londregan’s actions were not an authorized use of force by a peace officer, the county attorney’s office said in a statement released Sunday.
Cobb’s family was outraged by the decision.
“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,” a statement from Cobb family attorneys obtained by Fox News Digital said. “Apparently, all you have to do to get away with murder is to bully the prosecutors enough and the charges will just go away.”
The statement added: “the state of Minnesota has repeatedly demonstrated that Black lives simply are not valued whether it’s Daunte Demetrius Wright, Philando Castile or Ricky Cobb II.”
MINNESOTA STATE TROOPER CHARGED WITH MURDER IN FATAL SHOOTING OF MOTORIST DURING TRAFFIC STOP
Family members of Ricky Cobb II, a Black man who was shot and killed by a Minnesota state trooper, speak at a news conference outside Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Aug. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed)
Referring to the decision to drop the charges, Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel told the Star Tribune, “It’s about g—— time. That’s going to be about my only on the record comment.”
Prosecutors and law enforcement experts reviewed footage from the scene and found that, as Londregan’s partner clung to the passenger’s door, Cobb moved his hand upward. Cobb did have a gun in the vehicle. Moriarty told the Star Tribune there is still no evidence he intended to grab it but that the defense team’s statements caused prosecutors to reconsider the evidence through a new lens.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty discussed the decision to dismiss the case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan in the killing of Ricky Cobb II in a press conference on Monday, June 3, 2024. (Hennepin County Attorney’s Office )
Cobb’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April, alleging that the stop and the shooting were unjustified.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Midwest
Judge orders Ilhan Omar attack suspect to remain in custody pending trial
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The man accused of squirting Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with a syringe of apple cider vinegar during a town hall in Minneapolis last month will remain in custody until he stands trial, according to court documents.
Magistrate Judge David Schultz ordered Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, to remain in custody pending trial, citing “exceedingly serious and dangerous circumstances” of the assault allegations.
“The Court further finds detention is warranted in this case because clear and convincing evidence shows that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community, should Mr. Kazmierczak be released pending trial,” Schultz wrote in the order of detention dated Monday.
Omar was speaking about immigration policy and called for a transparent investigation and legal action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the abolition of the agency when the alleged attack happened. She also said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign or “face impeachment.”
A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance later identified as apple cider vinegar at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a town hall she was hosting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 27, 2026. (Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images)
Kazmierczak allegedly admitted to Minneapolis police during his arrest that he had squirted vinegar on Omar.
He was subsequently charged with one felony count of terroristic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault.
BROTHER OF MAN ACCUSED OF SPRAYING ILHAN OMAR SAYS SUSPECT HATED SOMALI COMMUNITY FOR YEARS
Kazmierczak made an initial court appearance earlier this month. He was wearing a yellow jumpsuit, a color that his court-appointed defense attorney John Fossum told the courtroom signifies his client was being held in solitary confinement. Fossum also expressed concern for Kazmierczak’s mental state.
Anthony James Kazmierczak was later charged with one felony count of terroristic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault. (Hennepin County Jail)
During the appearance, Kazmierczak waived his right to a hearing on probable cause.
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Kazmierczak has a criminal history and was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2009 and again in 2010. Records indicate he served one day in jail followed by five years supervised probation for the 2010 conviction and was put on home detention for 30 days in relation to his 2009 conviction.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, Adam Sabes, Jessica Sonkin and David Spunt contributed to this report.
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Detroit, MI
RECAP: Detroit’s lack of execution results in 5-2 loss at Carolina | Detroit Red Wings
RALEIGH, N.C. – Wrapping up the February portion of their 2025-26 regular-season schedule, the Detroit Red Wings unfortunately spent most of their Saturday night playing catch-up in an eventual 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
“They’re a heck of a team,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “This is a hard building to play in…They’re the class of the East, and you got to come in here at some point and get points. I just didn’t think we executed. We allowed them to be on top of us and come back in waves on Talbs.”
Goalie Cam Talbot made 30 saves in his first start since Jan. 22 for the Red Wings (34-20-6; 74 points), who moved to 11-5-2 on the road since Dec. 6. Meanwhile, turning aside 27 shots netminder Frederik Andersen helped the Hurricanes (38-15-6; 82 points) win their fifth straight game and extend their point streak to 12.
“We’re leaving without points, so that’s real disappointing,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought that the game was real fast to begin with. There was a lot of pace going both ways. It was a good game for us to play in. A lot of their offensive opportunities came off of basically our tape…[Carolina] really took advantage of our mistakes.”
Detroit held steady against Carolina’s characteristically heavy, initial 10-minute push in the opening frame, but the leaders of the Metropolitan Division went up 1-0 when Taylor Hall blocked Simon Edvinsson’s shot attempt in their defensive zone and proceeded to score on a breakaway at 14:05. Then with eight seconds left in the period, while the hosts were on the man advantage, Sebastian Aho’s shot from the left face-off circle deflected off Edvinsson’s stick down low and into the back of the net to extend their lead to 2-0.
“They come out flying and shoot a lot of pucks,” Larkin said. “You can’t really pay attention to the shot clock because they fire it from everywhere, but I liked our start. It’s just that we had some times where we didn’t execute, and they score with eight seconds left. That’s a tough one, but we responded well. We won the second period.”
The Hurricanes struck again just 2:52 into that second period, as Eric Robinson jammed a wrist shot from the top of the crease to push ahead 3-0. But in a span of just 47 seconds late in the stanza, the Red Wings beat Andersen twice to put the hosts on their heels and make it a one-goal game going into the second intermission.
Milwaukee, WI
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