Minnesota prosecutor was reluctant to drop murder charge against trooper, but ultimately did

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A progressive Minnesota prosecutor who was elected on a platform of police accountability has reluctantly dropped charges against a state trooper who fatally shot a Black man after a traffic stop. Following months of heavy criticism, even from the state’s Democratic governor, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Monday stood by her initial decision to charge Trooper Ryan Londregan in last summer’s killing of Ricky Cobb II. But she says she believes she could not prove the case because of new evidence. Moriarty says the case is another example of the difficulties involved in holding law enforcement officers accountable for killing Black men.