The family of Corey Ruiz, who was shot and killed by Madison police on a busy street, asserts that the officer involved should face criminal charges, according to their civil rights attorney, Ben Crump. Protests have occurred in response to cellphone videos depicting the struggle that preceded Ruiz's death.
During a news conference held at the state Capitol, Crump described the incident, stating, “They not only tackled him, not only tased him, not only kicked him, but you saw they shot him three times in his head and other parts of his body.”
Ruiz's mother, Elsa Ruiz, spoke emotionally about her son, describing him as someone who loved his daughter and family and did not deserve to die. She expressed disbelief that she would be burying her 38-year-old son.
According to police statements, Ruiz pulled a knife during a confrontation with four officers, resulting in one officer being injured before opening fire. The officer who discharged their weapon has not been identified. All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending a state investigation. The city's independent police monitor is also conducting a separate inquiry.
Ruiz was killed a few blocks from his 13-year-old daughter's home. Her mother, Marjorie Ann Aliomar, noted that the location is on the path her daughter takes to school. Kah’liyah Ruiz, the daughter, shared her grief, stating her heart was broken and hurt by the knowledge that she could no longer see her father. She also addressed public perceptions, saying, “People are saying he’s a criminal. So what? He had a family, he had me.”
The family, accompanied by Crump, has pledged to pursue justice for Ruiz's death. Crump characterized the shooting as an unjustified “execution” and emphasized that there should be accountability for excessive use of force, calling the events “shocking on every level.”
Cellphone video capturing the shooting was widely circulated online. Madison Police Chief John Patterson cautioned that the video does not fully represent the altercation from the officers' viewpoint. Madison, unlike many cities of similar size, does not mandate body-worn cameras for its police officers, meaning no footage exists from their perspective. Crump remarked on the importance of the available video, saying, “Thank God there was video. If there wasn’t video, imagine what the narrative would have been.”