Madison investigates fatal police shooting after July 22 confrontation on Williamson Street

Madison police are investigating the fatal shooting of Corey Ruiz by an officer during an altercation near Williamson and South Baldwin streets on July 22, while city and state oversight reviews remain pending.

The Madison Police Department’s incident records list a man as having been fatally shot during an altercation with police at the intersection. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway described the shooting as a tragedy and said it requires a rigorous investigation.

The mayor said the incident raises questions about escalation, de-escalation, policy and training. Those questions have not been resolved in the materials reviewed, and no final finding from the Wisconsin Department of Justice or the city’s Independent Police Monitor was available.

Account of the confrontation remains under review

An account from a city alder said Ruiz was being detained by four officers when one officer was injured by a knife. According to that account, another officer attempted to use a Taser, and the injured officer then fired three shots.

That account is not a final investigative determination. The full body-camera record and investigative file were not available in the reviewed material, and investigators have yet to determine the sequence of events and the legal justification for the shooting.

Madison police records establish the date and location of the fatal officer-involved shooting. They do not, in the material reviewed, provide final conclusions about whether the use of force complied with law, department policy or training standards.

Oversight and public review are next steps

The Independent Police Monitor and the Wisconsin Department of Justice were identified as having pending investigations into the shooting. Their findings could address facts that remain unresolved, including the circumstances leading to the confrontation and the officers’ actions.

Separately, the city’s Public Safety Review Committee is scheduled to meet virtually on Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. The committee meeting is listed as a venue for future public-safety review, and written comments will be accepted.

The city also directed people to crisis and public-health resources following the shooting. For residents, Ruiz’s death has placed police use of force, accountability and public trust at the center of the coming investigations and public review.

Neither the pending investigations nor the committee meeting, however, amounts to a finding about the shooting. Any conclusions about the officers’ conduct will depend on the completed reviews and the evidence examined by investigators.