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Madison Officer Shoots and Kills Corey Ruiz During Street Struggle

The Wisconsin DOJ’s independent Division of Criminal Investigation is leading a homicide probe that investigators say is hampered by the absence of officer body cameras

Overview

  • Police say officers chasing a man for checking parked cars encountered Corey Ruiz and a physical struggle broke out on Wednesday before a veteran officer fired at close range and Ruiz later died at a hospital.
  • City officials publicly identified the victim as 38-year-old Corey Ruiz and the Dane County Medical Examiner completed a forensic autopsy on July 23 with cause and manner of death still pending.
  • All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave and the state DCI is handling the investigation while declining to name the shooter until its review is complete.
  • Multiple bystander videos show officers wrestling Ruiz, a Taser being deployed and then what appears to be three close-range gunshots, and investigators are examining whether Ruiz fell from or was removed from his bicycle and why the stun device failed.
  • Hundreds of people have held vigils and protests, the family has hired civil-rights lawyer Ben Crump, and city leaders face renewed pressure to expand body-worn cameras and to provide transparent answers about use-of-force tactics.