Corey Ruiz, the man fatally shot by police in Madison, Wisconsin, was a repeat offender with a significant arrest record, including previous charges for assaulting police officers, according to public records. State Representative Shelia Stubbs, a Democrat, identified Ruiz and stated he should not have died following the incident.
Authorities reported that Ruiz attacked officers with a knife while they were attempting to arrest him. The shooting, which was captured on camera, has drawn protesters to the streets of Madison.
Brandi Grayson, head of the local advocacy group Urban Triage, spoke out about the incident, stating, "Another black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name." She characterized the event as "the cruelty of state violence."
However, Ruiz was identified as non-black Hispanic in his prison booking records. This detail emerged as some activists and protesters decried the death as another instance of police brutality against Black individuals, drawing parallels to the case of George Floyd.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has called for transparency and accountability in the investigation of the shooting. Demonstrations occurred near the state Capitol the day after the incident. The knife recovered by police at the scene showed signs of bloodstains.