A police officer in Madison, Wisc. shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest on Wednesday, sparking protests after bystander video of the deadly encounter spread online.
According to police, Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, brandished a knife and injured an officer with it before being fatally shot as a group of four officers tried to arrest him for suspected theft. The incident occurred in the early afternoon on a city street in full view of a number of witnesses.
Hundreds of protestors marched through downtown Madison on Wednesday, demanding answers about the killing. The next day, a group of about 20 protestors interrupted a press conference by city officials. At one point, a man took a microphone away from police Chief John Patterson.
“The people want to talk, this is our press conference,” the man said.
Ruiz’s family has retained Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who has represented the families of victims of several high-profile police killings — including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Michael Brown. Crump called for the shooting to be investigated for excessive force .
“The family deserves the truth, and the public deserves accountability,” Crump said in a statement on Thursday.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced that state authorities will lead an independent investigation into the incident.
“There is real pain in our city right now,” she said on Wednesday. “It’s an absolute tragedy when a member of our community is killed by anyone, but especially by the police. I understand the anger, grief, and fear people are feeling — because I am feeling that too.”
“Any officer-involved shooting needs to be rigorously investigated,” the mayor added. “And this one will be.”
What happened?
According to police, the officers were dispatched to the Marquette section of Madison on Wednesday afternoon to investigate a report of a person who was stealing bicycles and checking the doors of parked cars to see if they were unlocked.
During their search, they encountered Ruiz, who rode away from them on a bicycle and cut through the backyards of nearby houses to evade them, police said. The officers caught up with Ruiz at an intersection, where police say a struggle ensued.
Footage captured by several bystanders posted online shows the chaotic moments in which the three officers were attempting to bring Ruiz to the ground. During the struggle, one of the officers can be heard shouting, “He’s got a knife!” Police say Ruiz pulled out a “fix-blade knife” and injured an officer. The extent of the officer’s injuries is unknown.
A fourth officer used a Taser to try to subdue Ruiz, but was “unsuccessful,” police said. Eventually, Ruiz was taken to the ground. A few seconds later, one of the officers fired what sounds like three gunshots at close range. Ruiz immediately stopped moving. Two officers then flipped him onto his stomach and put him in handcuffs.
Protesters march past the Capitol, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Madison, Wis., after a Madison police officer shot and killed Corey Durell Ruiz on Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)Police say the officers attempted to provide “life-saving measures” to Ruiz, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The Madison Police Department released a statement detailing its account of the incident, in which it said that the same officer who was injured by the knife is the one who fired the fatal shots. All the officers involved, who have not been identified, have been placed on administrative leave.
The officers were not wearing body cameras because Madison, unlike most other cities of its size, does not require them.
Outcry and scrutiny
As footage of the shooting spread, so did anger among residents who felt that the officer’s use of lethal force wasn’t justified.
“I thought, ‘Holy cow — what could have warranted that?’ It looked to me like they had him under control,” David Ortiz-Whittingham, who saw officers swarming and heard the gunshots, told the Associated Press. “Even now, knowing about the knife, did he have to die for it? Could this have been de-escalated?”
Skepticism of the police’s action was also shared by Madison’s top elected officials.
“This incident leaves me, as I’m sure it does others, questioning why this happened and what can be done so it never happens again,” Mayor Rhodes-Conway said. “What decisions were made by officers that led to escalation instead of deescalation? What different choices could have been made to prevent harm? What needs to change in police policy and training to prevent more deaths?”
City Council President Sabrina Madison argued for the officer who shot Ruiz to be arrested during Thursday’s press conference.
“When the officer is walking away, why isn’t he walking away in cuffs?” she said. “That’s my first thought.”
Patterson has declined to comment on whether he believes the shooting was justified in order to avoid undermining the ongoing investigation.
“I’m not going to stand here today and render a verdict or an opinion about what the investigation will find because I believe that will jeopardize what we all want, which is … an independent review,” he said Thursday.
Patterson pledged that the department would cooperate fully with the state’s investigation and would “not hide” from any aspect of the inquiry.
Protestors who have filled Madison’s streets since Wednesday have carried signs reading “Justice for Corey” and chanted familiar slogans like “No justice, no peace” and Black Lives Matter.” Though disruptive, the protests have been largely peaceful.
Ruiz’s race hasn’t been confirmed at this time. He has been identified as African American, Hispanic and Caucasian in various court records.
