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Londregan attorney alleges social media posts threaten client
Londregan’s attorney claims several social media posts include threatening language, Londregan’s personal information and calls for protests outside his home.
MINNEAPOLIS — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on Jan. 24, 2024.
The team representing 27-year-old Ryan Londregan, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper accused of murder in the death of Ricky Cobb II, claims Londregan has been the focus of threatening messages online.
According to court documents filed Thursday in Hennepin County, an attorney for Londregan, Kelsey Lund, alleges “several social media posts” in recent months included threatening language, some of Londregan’s personal information and calls for protests outside his home.
The court filing alleges the posts were featured in comments in response to a local news outlet’s article on social media, while also specifically accusing one of Cobb’s brothers, Imari Cobb, for making threatening posts. Lund included various screenshots of the alleged posts in the official court document.
“Several posts appear to include threats to the trooper involved such as a post where Imari Cobb states that he hopes the trooper involved dies in his sleep,” the document said. “In another post, Imari Cobb notes that the trooper involved should be ‘blessed’ that Imari had not ‘blitzed’ them.”
Londregan’s attorney claimed other online comments by community members also threaten Londregan’s life and revealed personal bits of information, including his home address.
“In response to one of the posts that includes Trooper Londregan’s home address, shown on page two of Exhibit 2, Imari Cobb thanks the poster for the information and states, ‘The mob gotta roll,'” the document said.
Londregan was charged Wednesday with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the July 2023 shooting death of Cobb.
Body camera video released by Minnesota State Patrol officials in the days following Cobb’s death showed a brief interaction between Cobb and the troopers. Cobb’s hand then appeared to move toward the gear-shifter, and Londregan was seen firing his weapon from the open passenger’s side door as the vehicle lurched forward.
Both troopers received minor injuries after falling to the ground as Cobb’s vehicle pulled away. Cobb crashed about a quarter-mile away and was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound.
Londregan is the first officer to be charged by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty since she was elected after running a campaign promising police accountability.
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
