Officials Identify Man Killed By Madison Police As Corey Ruiz

A memorial grows for Corey Ruiz, 38, on July 23, 2026 in Madison, Wis. Ruiz was shot and killed by police on July 22, 2026. Angela Major/WPR

The man shot and killed by Madison police on Wednesday afternoon was 38-year-old Corey Ruiz.

City officials confirmed Ruiz’s name at a chaotic press event that was disrupted by protesters Thursday afternoon. Officials notified Ruiz’s family about his death on Wednesday, Madison Police Chief John Patterson said previously.

Police have not yet disclosed the names of the officer who fired shots, or of the other officers who tried to arrest Ruiz.

Patterson said that information would be released by the Division of Criminal Investigation within Wisconsin’s Department of Justice, the agency investigating the shooting.

“I sincerely hope that is soon,” Patterson said.

While Patterson was speaking a group of more than a dozen protestors walked into the news conference, which was in the basement of the city-county building. One man took over the microphone and spoke against “Zionism” and “imperialism.” One of the demonstrators carried a sign that said “corrupt cops deserve to die too.”

After the man stepped away from the microphone, Patterson said he wanted to acknowledge the pain being felt throughout Madison, but said people needed to give an external investigation time to be completed.

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

During a news conference on Wednesday, Patterson described the officer who fired the shots as a “veteran” officer, but did not say exactly how many years of experience he had. Patterson said previously that an officer opened fire after Ruiz pulled out a fixed-blade knife. The same officer who fired the shots was injured by Ruiz’s knife, Patterson said.

During the incident, Patterson said police attempted to use less-lethal force by deploying a Taser, but the use of a stun weapon was “unsuccessful,” the chief told reporters.

“I don’t know why it was unsuccessful,” Patterson said, referencing the Taser.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of protestors marched to downtown Madison, where they shut down a weekly “Concerts on the Square” performance that had been setting up outside the state Capitol.

Protesters disrupt a Concerts on the Square event Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis, after a Madison man was shot and killed by a police officer earlier that day. Angela Major/WPR

During that demonstration, many protestors called on Madison to release the name of the officer who shot Ruiz.

The shooting happened after 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of S. Baldwin Street and Williamson Street, known as Willy Street among Madison residents.

Multiple bystanders captured cellphone videos of the incident, and those videos have been spreading on social media, provoking grief and outrage. At least three shots can be heard in the video footage.

A vigil to mourn Ruiz is planned for 5 p.m. Thursday at the intersection where the shooting occurred.

Does Ruiz have a history with police?

According to Patterson, police initially responded to a call about someone checking parked cars in Madison’s Marquette neighborhood. He said Ruiz fled on a bike after officers attempted to confront him.

At the time of the shooting, Ruiz was listed as “absconded” from being under community supervision from the Department of Corrections.

Court records show Ruiz has a history of criminal convictions in Wisconsin, dating back to 2007. That includes multiple convictions for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, theft and drug conviction. In 2021, Ruiz pleaded guilty to a felony charge of resisting arrest in a way that caused bodily harm to police.

Also in 2021, he pleaded guilty in a separate case to making threats against police, a felony and to taking a car without consent.

Elected officials react to fatal police shooting

During Thursday’s news conference, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she had many questions about Wednesday’s incident.

“I want to be clear: It does not matter who you are or what your past is,” Rhodes-Conway said. “You should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement.”

Also during Thursday’s news conference, Madison Common Council President Sabrina Madison spoke about her feelings for Ruiz’s family.

“Corey could have been my brother,” said Madison, who is Black, and represents District 17 spanning part of the city’s east side. “My brother is homeless. He often rides a bike.”

Madison called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident. After viewing videos of the shooting, the council president described feeling anger.

“When the officer is walking away, why isn’t he walking away in cuffs?” Madison remembered thinking. “That’s my first thought.”

“I didn’t see anything that warranted it,” Madison said, referring to the officer who fired the shots.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, left, speaks at a press conference on Thursday, June 23, 2026, regarding the police shooting that killed Corey Ruiz, 38. Next to her stands Madison Police Chief John Patterson and Madison Common Council President Sabrina Madison. Sarah Lehr/WPR

Four officers involved with the arrest are on leave, while the DCI investigates.

Under Wisconsin law, an outside agency is required to investigate when someone dies at the hands of police.

How often are police using force in Madison and throughout Wisconsin?

In Wisconsin, more than 500 law enforcement agencies reported 309 use-of-force and arrest-related deaths from January 2021 through December 2024, according to a state dashboard. The data includes reports of arrest-related and use-of-force related deaths, as well as use-of-force injuries and whether an officer fired their weapon.

The overall number of incidents trended upward from 64 in 2021 to 91 in 2023 before declining to 81 in 2024. During that time span, the dashboard shows Madison Police Department officers discharged their weapon in four incidents mostly tied to unlawful or suspicious activity. The agency reported two incidents where officer use-of-force resulted in injuries.

Last year, Madison police recorded 360 instances where officers used force out of nearly 155,000 calls for service, according to quarterly reports submitted by the police chief to the Common Council. No MPD officers fired their guns toward a suspect in 2025, according to the reports.

During the first three months of 2026, MPD recorded 94 instances out of more than 34,000 calls for service in which officers used force. Data in those reports is preliminary and could change, the police chief has warned.

Officials ID man shot, killed by Madison police at news conference interrupted by protesters was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.