Minnesota was famously the scene of George Floyd’s death and the subsequent criminal prosecution of four police officers, most notably Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was convicted of second degree murder and is currently in prison, having survived an attack on his life. In my opinion, Chauvin’s conviction was wrong on both legal and factual grounds. His case was tried in an atmosphere of anti-police hysteria and threats of violence, so that the Hennepin County Government Center, where the trial took place, was surrounded by concrete barriers and barbed wire, and vacated but for the single courtroom where Chauvin’s trial took place.
Controversy over law enforcement continued. My organization erected 35 “Support Our Police” billboards around the Twin Cities. Seven times they were vandalized by leftists who spray-painted “Murder” in place of “Support” and signed their work with the Antifa symbol.
In 2022, Mary Moriarty ran for the office of Hennepin County Attorney on a platform of not prosecuting criminals, and was elected handily.
But perhaps the tide is turning. As I wrote here, Moriarty charged State Trooper Ryan Londregan with second degree murder, after he fatally shot career criminal Ricky Cobb, a felon illegally in possession of a handgun, as Cobb endangered Londregan and another patrolman by fleeing arrest with both troopers partway inside his vehicle.
Yesterday Londregan made his first court appearance. The atmosphere was different from the lynch mob environment that surrounded Derek Chauvin. My colleague David Zimmer reports:
Trooper Ryan Londregan made a first appearance in Hennepin County District Court today, in a very different atmosphere than officers who have recently faced charges in deadly use of force cases.
Today, over 150 current and retired law enforcement officers assembled in the Public Safety Facility courtyard, lined much of the hallway leading to court, and filled all available seats in courtroom 141. Sadly, I witnessed a very different atmosphere nearly four years ago when Minneapolis Officers Chauvin, Lane, Kueng, and Thao made their first appearances in the case involving George Floyd. In that case there were virtually no supporters other than family members, and those officers who had bonded out from their arrests had to navigate with their families and attorneys in and out of the building on their own. The difference in support today was significant and was no doubt uplifting to Trooper Londregan and his family.
Members and supporters of Ricky Cobb’s family (the man Trooper Londregan shot and killed during an arrest situation in July 2023), also were in attendance. Longtime activist Spike Moss was among the group and, while outwardly respectful, I witnessed him with the Cobb family quietly disparaging the support for Trooper Londregan and casting aspersion on the officers, labeling them as racists and describing the law enforcement profession as having not changed since he began his activism in 1965. This was a disappointment to witness, because if there is one person who knows those accusations are false, it is Spike Moss.
Other positive differences were that Trooper Londregan appeared as a trooper on leave, not as an officer whose agency had fired him without due process the day after the incident, as those involved in the Floyd case had been. Trooper Londregan was also not arrested, but rather summoned to court, and allowed to remain free on his own recognizance after surrendering his passport and agreeing not to “transport” firearms.
The hearing was presided over by Judge Burdorf…. The State was represented by veteran county attorney Judith Cole, who routinely handles first appearances; defense attorneys Peter Wold and Chris Madel appeared on behalf of Trooper Londregan. The hearing was non-eventful, and the next hearing was set before Judge Garcia on April 29 at 9 a.m.
Wold is a criminal defense lawyer, while Chris Madel is a top trial lawyer, known for his aggressiveness. Upon being retained by Londregan, he released a video statement promising to put Mary Moriarty on trial and to end the anti-police era in the Twin Cities.
Following the hearing, Trooper Londregan and his attorneys left the building and attorney Madel made a brief statement to assembled press, thanking the supporters who had taken the time to come. He also pointed out that in her press conference last week, County Attorney Moriarty had indicated her office had not used a use-of-force expert to assist with evaluating the case, despite announcing earlier in the fall of 2023 that her office had already hired an expert to work on the case.
***
Following the brief statements, Trooper Londregan and his attorneys left the area with a group of supporters — all silent and respectful. A small group associated with the Cobb group, numbering just a few, began screaming, “Ricky Cobb, say his name, he was the hero.” It was a pathetic attempt at attention, and died out quickly.The “hero” label is likely in response to attorney Madel’s video statement released last week in which he identified Trooper Londregan as a hero. He also said with authority, “Open season on law enforcement must end, and it’s going to end with this case.”
There is a different vibe with this case, at least early on — one that might indicate a turning of the tide in anti-law enforcement sentiment.
Let’s hope so. Whatever else might happen, Ryan Londregan is going to get the aggressive, hard-hitting defense that Derek Chauvin didn’t.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.