Ricky Cobb’s family says they feel ‘bamboozled’ by Hennepin County prosecutor

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The family of a Black man killed by Minnesota State Troopers during a traffic stop in 2023 say they feel betrayed by the Hennepin County prosecutor’s office after criminal charges were dropped in the case.

The Hennepin County prosecutor’s office announced Sunday that it would be dismissing murder charges against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan, citing new evidence in the case.

"They strategized this very well," said Ricky Cobb II’s mother, Nyra Fields-Miller. "They kept in contact with me and smiled at me and had a dagger in my back all along."

Fields-Miller said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty called her family into a last-minute meeting Sunday afternoon, breaking the news to them only an hour or two before it became public knowledge.

"She just came right out and said, ‘we’re going to dismiss the criminal part of the case’ and I looked at her and said, ‘this is a joke right?’" recalls Fields-Miller. "You call me on a Sunday to tell me this? That hurt so bad. And we couldn’t understand where she came up with her reasoning."

Local activists joined the grieving mother at a rally Monday, calling for an independent investigation into the case.

"What has changed since the charges were initially filed," said Johnathon McClellan with the Minnesota Justice Coalition. "Justice is supposed to be blind, yet in this case, someone has removed the blindfold and put their fingers on the scale. What we are witnessing is a miscarriage of justice."

Moriarty said Sunday that new evidence made the case ‘impossible’ to prove that Londregan’s actions were not an authorized use of force.

Fields-Miller said she feels ‘bamboozled’ by Moriarty after being promised justice.

"You want to flip-flop, not tell me anything, but bring me in on a Sunday and drop an atomic bomb in my lap."