Ben Crump Called the Fatal Shooting an Unjustified “Execution” as Ruiz’s Family Demanded Justice and Two Independent Investigations Moved Forward
A Wisconsin man fatally shot during an encounter with Madison police has been identified as 38-year-old Corey Ruiz as protests grow and his family’s attorney calls for the officer who killed him to face criminal charges.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump appeared Friday alongside Ruiz’s mother, siblings and 13-year-old daughter, Kah’liyah Aliomar, during an emotional news conference addressing the fatal encounter.
“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,” Crump said.
Crump described the shooting as an unjustified “execution” and said the officer responsible should be criminally charged.
“Anytime there is excessive use of force, there should be accountability,” Crump said, calling the circumstances “shocking on every level.”
Ruiz’s Family Demands Justice
Aliomar cried as she described learning that her father had been killed only a few blocks from her home and along the route she walks to school.
“My heart was broken and hurt so much knowing I can’t see my father anymore,” she said.
Ruiz’s mother, Elsa Ruiz, said she never imagined she would have to bury her son.
“He was my love. He loved his daughter, he loved his family,” she said. “He did not deserve to be taken out like that. They took my baby from me.”
His sister, Veronica Ruiz, questioned why the officers’ response escalated to deadly force when police were initially investigating reports of someone attempting to enter parked vehicles.
Related: Madison Police Shooting Sparks Protests After Viral Video
“I need somebody to help me understand why they felt it was OK to execute my brother based on no facts at all,” she said. “I hope everyone continues to support and come together and find justice for him.”
Police said the officers were responding to reports of someone checking parked vehicles and stealing bicycles, allegations Crump characterized as suspicion of a low-level property offense.
State and Local Investigations Underway
Ruiz died Wednesday after officers encountered him on Madison’s Near East Side. Police said he rode away on a bicycle before four officers caught up with him near the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson said a struggle followed and Ruiz allegedly pulled out a large fixed-blade knife, injuring an officer. Police said a Taser was deployed but was ineffective before an officer fired three shots.
Updated accounts from police indicate the officer who was injured during the encounter fired the fatal shots. The officer has not been publicly identified.
All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation conducts an independent criminal investigation.
A separate review is also being conducted by Madison’s independent police monitor.
Patterson has released few additional details, saying the state investigation must be allowed to run its course.
“The situation was clearly dangerous,” Patterson said, adding that he did not yet know the extent of the officer’s knife injuries. He said he supports transparency and accountability in the investigation.
Cellphone Video Fuels Public Outrage
The shooting was captured on cellphone video that spread widely online and fueled protests across Madison.
The footage appears to show officers struggling with Ruiz before shots are fired. Patterson cautioned that the video does not show the confrontation from the officers’ perspective.
Crump said the cellphone recording may prove critical to determining what happened.
“Thank God there was video,” Crump said. “If there wasn’t video, imagine what the narrative would have been.”
Ruiz’s daughter also responded to public discussion of her father’s criminal record. Wisconsin court records show Ruiz had previous misdemeanor and felony convictions.
“People are saying he’s a criminal. So what?” Aliomar said. “He had a family, he had me.”
Shooting Renews Body Camera Debate
Unlike most similarly sized cities, Madison does not require its police officers to wear body cameras. None of the four officers involved in Ruiz’s death was wearing one.
City officials have debated adopting body-worn cameras for more than a decade, commissioning studies and forming committees without fully implementing a program.
Officials have cited costs and political disagreements as reasons for the delay. A 2021 feasibility study also found that some community organizations worried the cameras could be used to surveil and criminalize marginalized residents.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said she expects the city budget taking effect in January to include funding for a body-camera program, although full implementation could take several years.
Protests Renew Scrutiny of Madison Police
Ruiz’s death has prompted demonstrations, calls for justice from elected officials and renewed anger in a community with a history of controversial police shootings.
During a Thursday news conference, a protester interrupted Patterson and accused city leaders of repeating the same response after another person was killed by police.
Rev. Marcus Allen of Mount Zion Baptist Church said the protester’s emotions reflected how many residents were feeling.
Police have killed three people in the same Madison neighborhood since 2012, including Paul Heenan in 2012 and Tony Robinson in 2015. Both deaths sparked protests and scrutiny of police use of force.
Ruiz’s family has promised to continue pressing for justice as the state criminal investigation and the independent city review move forward.
