Protesters interrupted a Madison Police Department news conference Thursday as officials provided an update on the fatal police shooting of a man identified by community members as 38-year-old Corey Ruiz.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson had begun discussing the investigation into Wednesday’s shooting when protesters cut off the briefing, accusing city leaders and law enforcement of failing the Black community.
“The thinness of trust in the city right now did not start”, Patterson started before being cut off. “No, we can shut this down. You can stop talking because we don’t want to hear anything you’ve been saying,” one protester said. “You’re going to say the same thing you all say every time a black body gets shot down in this city.”
The protester criticized city institutions and the ongoing investigative process. “We have the power. Not that badge, not that weapon. We have the power,” the protester said. “The city of Madison is corrupt. From the DA to the … Department of Independent Monitoring. We don’t want any of that talk.”
The interruption came amid growing community anger over the shooting, which sparked demonstrations at the scene and at the Wisconsin State Capitol. According to Patterson, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the review of the officer-involved shooting at the request of Madison police. “This process exists precisely so that no department in Wisconsin investigates itself and its own actions involving its community members,” Patterson said. “What I can promise you is that this department will cooperate fully with DCI and we will not hide from any aspect of this investigation.”
Under Wisconsin’s process for officer-involved deaths, DOJ investigators will review the circumstances surrounding the shooting and submit their findings to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office for a charging decision. Patterson acknowledged the shooting has revived painful memories for many residents, noting it occurred near the locations of two previous fatal shootings involving Madison police officers.
“We have to recognize the trauma that this community has gone through, is experiencing now again, and pretending that this is the first time I would ask this community to forget trauma
Authorities have not yet released additional details about the circumstances that led to the shooting. Community members have identified the man who was killed as Ruiz and said he was homeless.