Overview
- Police say officers confronted a man in his 30s at S. Baldwin and Williamson, a struggle followed and a veteran officer who had been injured by a fixed-blade knife fired three shots; the man later died at a hospital after the Wednesday afternoon encounter.
- Multiple bystander videos showing the struggle and the three gunshots circulated online within hours and helped drive hundreds of protesters to the scene and to the State Capitol that evening.
- Madison officials said none of the four officers present were wearing body cameras and all four have been placed on administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation leads an independent probe.
- Witnesses have disputed parts of the police account, with some saying they did not see a knife, which has intensified public demands for the release of all dash, surveillance and bystander footage.
- The shooting reopened local wounds from a 2015 on-street police killing nearby and is likely to sharpen debate in Madison over body cameras, police policy and demands for greater transparency during the DCI review.