Corey Ruiz has been identified as the man shot and killed by a Madison Police Department official, in Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday. The incident has sparked massive protests.
While Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced that Ruiz had been identified, Madison Police Department Chief John Patterson said his killing is an ‘open active homicide investigation.’
Corey Ruiz shooting video
Ruiz’s family has retained attorney Ben Crump who shared the video of his shooting on X. “Corey Ruiz was reportedly shot multiple times by police in Madison, Wisconsin, in broad daylight. Every loss of life during a police encounter demands careful scrutiny,” he wrote.
(Disclaimer: The video below includes graphic violence)
Notably, Ruiz has a long criminal past but the governor still slammed the violent end he met. “It does not matter who you are or what your past is. You should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement,” Rhodes-Conway said.
Also Read | Who is Jose Trinidad Rojas? Judge blocks deportation of key witness in fatal Houston ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado
Here’s all you need to know about Corey Ruiz and his criminal past.
Corey Ruiz: 5 things to know
- Corey Ruiz is homeless and had a child.
- Ruiz has had charges of theft, obstructing an officer, and battery against him.
- Police had encountered Ruiz while they were responding to a report of a person checking parked vehicles. Officers ‘were called to the area for someone stealing bicycles and checking vehicles,’ as per the Madison Police Department.
- Cops gave him chase, before catching up near the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets of Madison’s Near East Side. At this time a ‘physical struggle ensued’ as per the Madison police chief. Ruiz reportedly pulled out a fixed-blade knife and injured a ‘veteran officer’ who was trying to arrest him.
- In the video shared widely online, including by Ruiz’s attorney Crump, the man can be seen tasered by cops. While he appears to be falling back, Ruiz has his legs pinned under one cop’s foot while another draws a gun and three shots can be heard.
While the policeman who shot Ruiz has not been identified by authorities as the investigation is ongoing, the cop has been named on social media by various activists and political entities. Party for Socialism and Liberation, a US-based political party, noted that the cop was one Kiel Peterson. HT.com could not independently verify this claim.
“A massive crowd has taken the streets again in Madison, WI to demand the cop who murdered 41-year old Corey Ruiz yesterday — Kiel Peterson — be arrested and convicted. Justice for Corey Ruiz and all victims of racist police & ICE terror!,” they wrote, sharing a video of the protest where the chant ‘killer cops have got to go’ could be heard.
Francesca Hong, who is reportedly the Democrat frontrunner in Wisconsin’s race for governor condemned Ruiz’s shooting. “Corey Ruiz was a member of our community. His life mattered. He did not deserve to be shot to death in the street. Fatal encounters with law enforcement happen far too often – especially for people of color. The only acceptable number of police killings is zero,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, vigils have been held for the victim and the clamor has grown for the arrest of the Madison Police Department officer involved in the incident.
Corey Ruiz, Madison Wisconsin shooting: 5 things about man killed in cop shooting as chilling video emerges
