Corey Ruiz: Madison Police Kill Black Man in Broad Daylight

On the afternoon of July 22, 2026, Madison police officer Kile Peterson shot and killed Corey Durell Ruiz at the corner of Williamson Street and South Baldwin Street in the Marquette neighborhood. Ruiz was 38 years old. He was riding a bicycle. He was a father to a 13-year-old daughter, Kah'liyah Aliomar. He was a Madison native. He was killed in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, blocks from where MPD officer Matt Kenny killed Tony Robinson in 2015. 

The killing was captured on cellphone video. The footage shows Ruiz surrounded by at least four officers. Officers deployed a taser. Then, with Ruiz on the ground, Officer Peterson fired at close range. Three gunshots can be heard on the recording. The Madison Police Department's initial statement claimed Ruiz was "checking locked cars" and that he produced a knife, injuring an officer. But eyewitness accounts and video tell a different story. As one witness wrote: "He was on the ground when an officer fired at his head and torso at point blank." The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the killing as a homicide. 

Within hours, hundreds of protesters filled the streets of downtown Madison. They marched from the shooting scene to the Capitol, shutting down the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's Concert on the Square. They chanted Corey Ruiz's name. They held signs reading "Justice for Corey." By nightfall, a memorial was growing at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin — and it has not stopped growing since. 

The Pattern 

Corey Ruiz is not the first Black person killed by Madison police. He will not be the last unless the system changes. In March 2015, MPD officer Matt Kenny shot and killed Tony Robinson — an unarmed Black teenager — blocks from where Corey Ruiz was killed. Kenny was cleared of criminal wrongdoing. On December 31, 2024, Richard Lee Johnson died in MPD custody after Officer Alex Gonzalez shoved his head into the ground and applied his knee until Johnson stopped breathing. He died from prone restraint cardiac arrest. Police initially claimed it was a drug overdose. In June 2026, the Office of the Independent Police Monitor ruled Johnson's death a homicide. Officer Gonzalez has not been charged. Black people in Wisconsin are 5.2 times more likely than white people to be killed by police. Madison is not different. The violence is here — concentrated in the few neighborhoods where Black people live, carried out by officers whose names the department withholds as long as it can. 

"His Life Mattered" 

Corey Ruiz's family retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump on July 23 — one day after the killing. At a press conference on July 24, Crump called the shooting an "execution" and demanded criminal charges against Officer Peterson. Ruiz's mother, siblings, and 13-year-old daughter stood alongside him. 

"His life mattered," said Governor Tony Evers. 

"My family needs justice," said Ruiz's relatives. 

State Representative Shelia Stubbs issued a statement: "Mr. Ruiz should still be alive. My heart and my prayers go out to Mr. Ruiz's family, friends, and loved ones in their time of grief." Madison City Council President Sabrina Madison went on CNN and said the officer should be arrested. 

The City's Response: Weaken Oversight 

While the community demands justice for Corey Ruiz, the Madison Common Council is preparing to vote on whether to weaken the Police Civilian Oversight Board — the very body created after the 2020 uprisings to provide independent oversight of the department that killed him. The PCO Board announced it will conduct an independent review of the Ruiz shooting. The same board the city is trying to strip of its funding, its independence, and its authority to investigate. They want to weaken oversight while police are still killing us. 

The Demands 

Freedom Inc., the Black and Southeast Asian-led queer feminist organization that has led the fight for Community Control Over Police in Madison for years, is organizing the community response. Their demands — which Freedom Action NOW supports — are clear: 

• Justice for Corey Ruiz. Release all body camera and surveillance footage. Release the names of every officer involved. Fire and prosecute Officer Kile Peterson. Drop any posthumous charges against Corey Ruiz. 
• Jail Killer Cops. Officer Alex Gonzalez must be charged for the homicide of Richard Lee Johnson. Officer Kile Peterson must face the same accountability. Police who kill Black people cannot remain on the force — or on the street. End qualified immunity. Establish independent prosecution for police killings. 
• Community Control Over Police. The people most impacted by police violence must have the power to decide what safety looks like, how resources are used, and how those who cause harm are held accountable. Not oversight. Not reform. Power. The August 4 Common Council vote on the PCO Board is the immediate fight. Community control is the destination. 

What Happens Next 

Protests have continued nightly since July 22. An encampment has formed at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin. The memorial grows daily. Labor and community leaders have called a press conference for July 31 at City Hall to support the Ruiz family's demands. The Common Council votes on the future of the PCO Board on August 4. 

Freedom Inc. is organizing the community to pack the chambers. Freedom Action NOW is mobilizing allies to provide material support: numbers at actions, resources for organizing, and the political legitimacy that comes from a broad coalition saying this cannot stand. Corey Ruiz should be alive. He is not. The work is to make sure the next Black person in Madison is.