Family Seeks Justice After Madison Officer Fatally Shoots Corey Ruiz; State Probe Underway

The family of Corey Ruiz held an emotional news conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 24, 2026, calling for accountability after Ruiz was fatally shot by a Madison police officer. Bystander video of the encounter has circulated widely and has intensified calls for a thorough, transparent investigation.

Michael Doubek - PHOTO: An officer is seen and heard firing three shots at Corey Ruiz in Madison, Wis., July 22, 2026.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson said officers responded to a call about a person allegedly checking parked vehicles and encountered Ruiz, who fled on a bicycle. Video verified by ABC News shows Ruiz falling from the bicycle at the intersection of S. Baldwin and Williamson Streets and the moments that followed.

WISN - PHOTO: Attorney Ben Crump holds a press conference with the family of Corey Ruiz, on July 24, 2026.

Chief Patterson told reporters that after Ruiz fell, a physical altercation took place involving four officers and that Ruiz allegedly produced a knife and wounded one officer. According to the chief, an officer who had been injured fired the shots that killed Ruiz. Officers also deployed a stun gun during the confrontation.

Ben Crump Law - PHOTO: Undated photo of Corey Ruiz provided by the office of Ben Crump Law.

All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) examines the incident. Patterson confirmed that none of the officers were wearing body-worn cameras at the time.

Scott Olson/Getty Images - PHOTO: People light candles at a memorial at the intersection where Corey Ruiz was shot and killed yesterday by a Madison Police officer on July 23, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who joined Ruiz's mother, daughter, partner and siblings at the press conference, disputed the decision to pursue Ruiz and questioned the use of lethal force. "This was a suspicion of a property crime; there was no property crime," Crump said. He acknowledged Ruiz's prior arrests and struggles with substance use and mental health but argued those issues do not justify deadly force.

Elsa Ruiz, Corey’s mother: "He loved his daughter. He loved his family. He did not deserve to be taken out like that."

Ruiz's sister, Veronica Ruiz, urged the public not to let his criminal history define him: "His record tells a tale of trauma, of pain, of struggle. It does not define who my brother was." Marjorie Aliomar, the mother of Ruiz's 13-year-old daughter Kah'Liyah, said she first learned the identity of the man in the video after seeing the footage and expressed fear about the daily toll on her daughter, who walks near the scene and will never have her father see milestones like graduation.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Chief Patterson offered condolences to the family and pledged transparency as the DCI investigation proceeds. Several protests have taken place in Madison in response to the shooting. Crump and the Ruiz family thanked community members for support and urged people to continue speaking out against what they call excessive police force.

The DCI investigation is ongoing, and officials have said they will release more information as it becomes available.