Corey Ruiz was a 37-year-old man who was shot and killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 22, 2026.
The shooting happened at the corner of Williamson and Baldwin Streets. Ruiz was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the incident. All four officers involved were placed on administrative leave.
Background Madison is the second-largest city, state capitol of Wisconsin, and home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2021, the state of Wisconsin recorded 64 instances of use-of-force or arrest-related injuries and deaths. This increased to 73 in 2022 and 91 in 2023 before declining to 81 in 2024. During the first three months of 2026, the city of Madison recorded 94 instances in which officers used force. From 2021 to 2024, Madison Police Department officers discharged their weapons four times, resulting in injuries in two instances.
Sequence of events
At roughly 1:30 p.m. in the Marquette neighborhood of Madison, police received reports of a man stealing bicycles and looking into parked cars. Four police officers then approached 38-year-old Corey Ruiz, a Black man who fled on a bicycle through backyards after officers confronted him. Ruiz fell from the bicycle after an officer quickly exited his vehicle and knocked Ruiz to the ground, where a physical struggle began between Ruiz and police as bystanders recorded from nearby. Ruiz produced a knife that Madison Police Chief John Patterson reported injured the officer who fired the shots. One female officer is heard yelling out "Taser! Taser! Taser!" before two officers fired tasers at Ruiz. Police reported that one taser was not successful, while the other taser, fired by a female officer, successfully connected and brought Ruiz the to ground. Two officers then restrain Ruiz on the ground While Ruiz was being held to the ground by these two officers, a third officer, identified as Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, drew his weapon and shot Ruiz three times at close range, killing him. Bystanders from nearby began yelling, and officers then retrieved the knife.
The Madison Police Department is not outfitted with police body cameras.
Reactions NBC News said "a central question now is why lethal force was used when officers appeared to have Ruiz on the ground."
The killing sparked protests and vigils in Madison, with many protesters calling on the city to release the name of the officer who shot Ruiz.
Shortly after the killing, several city blocks were barricaded by protesters in what was referred to as an "autonomous zone" by local activists. After a week, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway urged protesters to dismantle the barricades, warning of an "unsafe and unsustainable" situation. When no agreement was reached for voluntary dismantlement, local and state police were dispatched to clear the encampment, resulting in clashes between remaining protesters and police. Multiple fires were set in the street before being extinguished by firefighters. City officials announced the arrest of 26 protesters through August 5, mainly for failure to disperse.
Protests continued through August 5, with authorities reporting six arrests after several fires were set on Williamson and Baldwin streets. All fires were extinguished within 20 minutes of firefighters arriving and no injuries were reported.
Madison Police released drone footage on August 4th showing a physical confrontation between officers and independent police monitor Aeiramique Glass, in which Glass was interfering with police activity before being briefly restrained. She sustained minor injuries before being released without charges.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson held a press conference on July 23, 2026, in which he said there would be an investigation of the shooting, but did not release the names of any of the officers, including the man who fired the shots. While he was talking, a group of over a dozen protesters entered the news conference and took control of the microphone. After protesters stepped away from the microphone, Patterson said "everyone in this room can feel the thinness of trust in this city right now." Patterson said the killing was being investigated as a homicide, and the four officers involved had been put on administrative leave pending the investigation. On August 10, Chief Patterson revealed that the officer who fired the shots was Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, who has worked for the Madison Police Department since 2015.
Governor Tony Evers called for protesters to remain peaceful and respectful. Francesca Hong, a former state representative, Madison resident, and candidate in the 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial primary stated "This was an execution, and it never should have happened."
Ruiz's family has retained attorney Benjamin Crump, who stated that the officer involved in the shooting should be criminally charged.
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