Police Shooting of Corey Ruiz Sparks Protests in Madison, Wisconsin

Leaders in Madison, Wisconsin, have identified Corey Ruiz as the man killed yesterday in a fatal police shooting that has sparked waves of protests and anger in the community.

“It does not matter who you are or what your past is, you should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said at a press conference on Thursday, which was later taken over by protesters criticizing the city and its police department.

Before the protesters stormed the stage, Common Council President Sabrina Madison said she was seeking “justice for Corey” and called on community members to demand police reform and a swift investigation by the state officials probing the shooting.

“If the protocol is to go that quickly to shoot this gentleman in the head three times, and that is an option, I don’t know how that is an option,” she said. “My brain has not been able to put that together as an option. Because I didn’t see anything that warranted it.”

Critics argued video of the incident shared widely online showed that police “executed” Ruiz in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight.

Here is everything we know about the case:

Footage shows four cops on Wednesday working to subdue Ruiz, who police said was armed with a knife. The officers surround the man as he struggles to break free. While they have him by the arms and on the ground, one cop pulls out his gun and shoots the victim dead before reholstering his weapon and an officer puts the victim’s limp arms behind his body to handcuff him.

“This was an execution, and it never should have happened,” Fran Hong, a Democratic state representative running for governor, said of the shooting.

However, police stressed the incident remains under investigation and have begged the community not to jump to conclusions based on the video.

The violence unfolded Wednesday afternoon at the busy intersection of Madison’s South Baldwin and Williamson Streets around 1:34 p.m., an area surrounded by homes, bars, restaurants and shops.

A “physical struggle” ensued as Ruiz managed to briefly stand up while in the grip of the officers, before one of them yelled, “Taser, Taser Taser” and pointed the stun gun at him. The Taser failed to discharge, police said.

Officers wrestled Ruiz back down to the ground while one of them appeared to step on his leg to keep him on the floor. Less than a second later, one of the officers pulled out his gun, pointed it at the victim, and fired three shots.

Ruiz was slumped on the ground and did not appear to move again.

A bystander’s screams were then heard nearby, as a woman yelled, “I saw everything, we watched it all.”

With the victim limp and face down on the ground, blood pouring from his head, the officer who shot him reholstered his weapon and then he placed the man’s hands behind his back as if to restrain him. Another officer removed the knife, throwing it to the side.

Two other officers were seen standing around the scene before police put on gloves and appeared to administer first aid.

Ruiz was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

On Wednesday, Madison Police Chief John Patterson appealed for calm at a press conference in the aftermath, recounting the official narrative and pointing out that video of the shooting seen online only offered one side of the story.

Patterson also explained that Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, so there is no bodycam footage of the shooting.

In a statement, the department said officers were responding to a report alleging that someone had been seen attempting to break into parked cars in the city’s Marquette neighborhood.

The officers pursued Ruiz, who was on a bicycle. “The man either fell or was pulled off the bicycle, this is still being determined, and a struggle ensued with officers in the middle of the intersection,” the statement said.

“During the struggle, the man pulled out a fix-blade knife and injured an officer. Officers continued to try to get the man into custody and a less lethal device, a taser, was used but it was unsuccessful.”

“The officer injured by the knife is the one who fired his weapon,” the statement continued. “Officers at the scene provided life-saving measures.”

Chief Patterson added on Thursday that he was unsure why the Taser did not function during the encounter, one of many factors state officials will investigate as they scrutinize the shooting.

A second officer was injured in the incident but police have not said how, only that they do not believe his wound was caused by the knife.

The four officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave according to procedure and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation has commenced an independent probe.

Police have said Ruiz was in his 30s.

His race has not been disclosed by officials, but Black advocacy groups in Madison said they believed he was Black, as they denounced the violence.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

Ruiz has a history of encounters with law enforcement dating back to 2007, according to court records obtained by Wisconsin Public Radio.

He was previously convicted of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, theft and drug conviction, WPR reports. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest in a way that caused harm to police and, in a separate case, making threats against police, as well as taking a car without consent.

Ruiz’s death comes after the fatal shooting of Tony Robinson, who was biracial, at the hands of a white police officer on the same street in 2015. Large protests followed, but the district attorney did not file charges against police, determining the officer was justified.

The name of the officer who shot the victim has not been released by Madison police.

In a statement, the department described him as “a veteran officer” and confirmed he has been placed on administrative leave, along with the other officers involved.

Chief Patterson said state officials would release the name of the officer in the coming days.

“I sincerely hope that is soon,” Patterson said on Thursday at the press conference.

Tensions remained high in Madison on Thursday as information trickled out about the shooting.

A group of activists temporarily seized the stage from the Madison mayor and police chief on Thursday, demanding that the “pigs” who shot Ruiz be put in jail, while denouncing claims from officials about pursuing justice as a “clown show.”

The takeover inspired some in the crowd to shout down the activists, and a man in the audience almost came to blows with a demonstrator who grabbed the microphone.

“I know this is tough,” Patterson said once he resumed his remarks.

“Everyone in this room can feel the thinness of trust in this city right now,” he added.

The chief said that police operate based on a “sacred public trust,” which frays the more that force is used. He stressed that the department immediately sought an independent investigation and will fully cooperate with the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

“We will not hide from any aspect of this investigation,” he said.

The demonstration on Thursday came after hundreds of people took to the streets Wednesday evening to protest the killing and to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of Ruiz.

Some stayed overnight. “I don’t plan to leave anytime soon because it’s important to hold this space,” said Ben Weger, a pastor of Stoughton United Methodist Church about 20 miles away.

Sabrina Thompson, of Madison, was crying at the memorial site. “It’s really unbearable,” she said through tears. “You can’t describe it.”

Hong, a Democratic primary candidate in Wisconsin’s governor’s race, also attended the vigil and spoke to demonstrators through a megaphone.

“This state-sanctioned violence was an execution,” she told a crowd.

Incumbent Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for “transparency and accountability” on X, expressing his sympathies for the victim’s family and saying that any protest should be conducted “peacefully and respectfully.”

“Each incident reopens deep wounds, raises difficult questions, and reminds us of the urgent work that remains to build trust, transparency, and accountability in our systems,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is also running for governor.

“There are questions that must be answered,” added Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “It’s understandable that people want answers now.”

A community vigil is planned for Thursday evening.