MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Supporters and critics of a white Minnesota state trooper who's charged with murder for killing a Black motorist confronted each other at a courthouse Monday in an exchange that was heated but peaceful, reflecting the strong emotions that the politically charged case has generated.
More than 300 people, including law enforcement officers from several agencies, gathered in the Hennepin County Government Center in solidarity with Trooper Ryan Londregan ahead of a pretrial hearing in his case. He's charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and assault for fatally shooting Ricky Cobb II as Cobb tried to drive away from a traffic stop last summer. A similarly large crowd aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement shouted down an attempt by Londregan's defense team to hold a news conference afterward.
“Trooper Londregan followed his training,” defense attorney Chris Madel was able to tell reporters. He noted that the defense team filed sworn declarations from four current and former troopers who say Londregan's use of deadly force was justified. Madel also called for “a prosecutor who cares about the facts more than they do about yelling," before the shouts of “Whose streets? Our streets” grew too loud.
“No good cops in a racist system,” the protesters also chanted. “No justice, no peace. Prosecute the police.”
Four former federal prosecutors from the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Steptoe LLC will be deputized to take over the case from the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty after the original leader of the prosecution team stepped away from the case, said Chris Freeman, managing attorney for the office’s adult prosecution division.
Freeman did not address news reports that Assistant County Attorney Joshua Larson had removed himself as lead prosecutor, but confirmed to Judge Tamara Garcia that Larson is no longer on the case.
Moriarty later said in a statement that she would retain full authority over the case and pay the attorneys out of her existing budget. She named Karima Maloney, Michael Bromwich, Ryan Poscablo and Steven Levin as the new team.
Law enforcement and Republican leaders have been calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to take the case away from Moriarty, a former public defender who was elected on a platform of police accountability following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer in 2020, and turn it over to Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison. Walz has expressed concern about the direction of the case but has not acted.
In a jab at the incoming prosecution team, Madel told reporters they’d rather the case went to “somebody who cares about justice more than hourly fees.”
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association organized a show of support for Londregan before the hearing. The crowd, including many people wearing T-shirts proclaiming his innocence, greeted him with loud cheers and sustained applause as he and his defense team entered the courthouse.
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 found that the Spring Lake Park man was wanted for violating a protection order in neighboring Ramsey County. Londregan arrived to assist. They were telling Cobb to get out when he shifted into drive and took his foot off the brake. Cobb’s car began to slowly move forward. Londregan reached for his gun. Cobb stopped. Londregan pointed his gun at Cobb and yelled at him to get out. Cobb took his foot off the brake again while another trooper's torso was at least partially in the car. Londregan then fired twice at Cobb, striking him both times in the chest, the criminal complaint says.
Cobb's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit two weeks ago, alleging that the stop and shooting were unjustified.
The judge set two dates for future hearings. The new prosecution team will introduce itself to the court at 1:30 p.m. on May 15, and there will be a fuller hearing June 10 at 9 a.m. to set a trial date and discuss motions by the defense to dismiss the charges for lack of probable cause and alleged prosecution misconduct.
Arguing that the charges lack sufficient grounds, Madel noted during the hearing that the prosecution has yet to name an expert witness who could testify that Londregan's actions weren't justified. Garcia said they can discuss a deadline for disclosure of prosecution expert witnesses at the May 15 hearing.
The misconduct allegation includes the defense claim that the criminal complaint filed by prosecutors misrepresented statements by the Minnesota State Patrol's lead use-of-force trainer, by omitting that expert's conclusion that Londregan did nothing wrong.
Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan's attorney Chris Madel is drowned out by protesters after a hearing for his client at the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minn. Longdregan is charged with killing Ricky Cobb II during a during a traffic stop in the summer of 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleace)
Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan's attorney Chris Madel is drowned out by protesters after a hearing for his client at the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minn. Longdregan is charged with killing Ricky Cobb II during a during a traffic stop in the summer of 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleace)
Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan's attorney Chris Madel is drowned out by protesters after a hearing for his client at the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minn. Longdregan is charged with killing Ricky Cobb II during a during a traffic stop in the summer of 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleace)
Drexel University in Philadelphia threatened to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday as arrests linked to campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war surpassed the 3,000 mark nationwide.
Drexel President John Fry said the encampment had disrupted campus life and “cannot be allowed to remain in place.” Fry called on protesters to leave immediately but said in a statement Monday night that he had authorized “all necessary steps to clear the encampment safely.” He did not say when that might happen.
Classes at Drexel were held virtually on Monday as police kept watch over the demonstration on the school’s Korman Quad. Many Drexel employees were told to work from home.
Students and others have set up tent encampments on campuses around the country to press colleges to cut financial ties with Israel. Tensions over the war have been high on campuses since the fall but demonstrations spread quickly following an April 18 police crackdown on an encampment at Columbia University.
More than 3,000 people have been arrested on U.S. campuses over the past month. Campuses have been calmer recently, with fewer arrests, as students leave for summer break. Still, colleges have been vigilant for disruptions to commencement ceremonies.
At Drexel, which has about 22,000 students, Fry said protesters “have created a hostile, confrontational environment by subjecting passersby to antisemitic speech and by issuing several ‘demands’ that have unacceptably targeted individual members of our faculty and professional staff” as well as Jewish groups on campus. He previously threatened disciplinary action against Drexel students participating in the protest.
The Drexel protesters’ demands ranged from the university administration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and divesting from companies that do business with Israel, to abolition of the Drexel police department and termination of the school’s chapter of Hillel, the Jewish campus organization, and another Jewish campus group, Chabad.
The Drexel Palestine Coalition had no immediate response to Fry's ultimatum. The protest organizers said on Instagram in response to an earlier statement from Fry that “it is slander to accuse the encampment of ‘hateful’ or ‘intimidating’ actions when we have done neither.” The group accused Drexel and city police of harassment and intimidation. A pro-Palestinian group of faculty and staff also blasted Fry on Monday for shuttering campus facilities and said the encampment was “not disruptive to learning.”
Drexel planned a “phased return” to normal operations on Tuesday, with labs and some other classes to be held in person and lecture classes to stay remote.
Elsewhere, graduate students at the University of California, Santa Cruz, went on strike Monday as part of a rolling, systemwide protest over how administrators have responded to pro-Palestinian encampments, including arrests of protesters at the Los Angeles, San Diego and Irvine campuses.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, meanwhile, declined to charge four University of Pennsylvania protesters who were among 19 arrested Friday night, citing a lack of evidence submitted by campus police. Krasner’s office approved misdemeanor charges against three others. The remaining 12 arrested Friday night were given citations for failing to disperse.
Penn's main commencement ceremony was held Monday under tightened security and a ban on flags and signs. There were no disruptions.
But dozens of students walked out of Yale University’s commencement ceremony, some waving Palestinian flags. Yale said in a prepared statement that “a number of graduating students chose to peacefully walk out during the ceremony. University staff helped guide these individuals to an area outside the event space, and the ceremony continued as scheduled.”
Wesleyan University in Connecticut said it had reached agreement with student protesters to review possible divestment, with meetings scheduled for later this month and in the fall. Wesleyan President Michael Roth announced the deal over the weekend and disclosed that 1.7% of Wesleyan’s endowment was invested in aerospace and defense businesses, but that none were directly involved in the manufacture of weapons.
As part of the agreement, Wesleyan protesters cleared their encampment on Monday, according to a school spokesperson.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 82 incidents since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the U.S. At least 3,025 people have been arrested on the campuses of 61 colleges and universities. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
The latest Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking an additional 250 hostage. Palestinian militants still hold about 100 captives, while Israel’s military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Associated Press reporters Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Janie Har in San Francisco, Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this story.
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks on the grounds of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, Jan. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. Biden will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse University Sunday, May 19, 2024, giving the Democrat a key spotlight on one of the nation's preeminent historically Black campuses but potentially exposing him to uncomfortable protests as he seeks reelection against Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Pro-Palestinian protesters and Philadelphia police have a standoff along 34th Street at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, May 17, 2024. Authorities say a half-dozen University of Pennsylvania students were among 19 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested during an attempt to occupy a building on campus. University police say seven remained in custody Saturday awaiting felony charges from Friday's incident, including one person who allegedly assaulted an officer. (Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
