My Family Needs Justice" — Corey Ruiz's Family Speaks, Protests Enter Third Night

Image courtesy WPR. Richelle Wilson/WPR

On Thursday, July 24 — two days after Madison police officer Kile Peterson shot and killed Corey Durell Ruiz — his family spoke publicly for the first time. Flanked by nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Ruiz's mother, siblings, and 13-year-old daughter Kah'liyah Aliomar faced the cameras and told the world who Corey Ruiz was. A loving father. An "exceptional" person. A Madison native who should still be alive. 

"My family needs justice," his relatives said. Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tyre Nichols, did not mince words. He called the shooting an unjustified "execution" and demanded criminal charges against Officer Peterson. He called for the immediate release of all body camera and surveillance footage — footage that the Madison Police Department continues to withhold. "This was not a tragic accident. This was not a split-second decision. This was an execution of a Black man in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, on the street of his own city," Crump said. 

The press conference came as protests entered their third consecutive night. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Madison for the third evening in a row, shutting down streets and demanding accountability. The intersection of Williamson and Baldwin — where Corey Ruiz was killed — remains closed. The memorial at the site continues to grow, covered in flowers, candles, signs, and the names of the dead. 

What the Family Told Us 

The family described Corey Ruiz as a man who loved his daughter, who was known in his community, who mattered. They insisted that his name not be reduced to a police incident report or a booking photo — which the New York Post had already published, pulled from Wisconsin Department of Corrections records dated May 12. "He was exceptional," the family told ABC News. "He was a loving father." His 13-year-old daughter Kah'liyah stood beside her grandmother and aunts as Crump demanded the officer be charged. A child should not have to attend a press conference to demand justice for her murdered father. But here we are. Again. 

What the City Said 

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway identified Ruiz as a 38-year-old Black man. Alder Noah Lieberman, whose district includes the shooting site, confirmed Ruiz's race and called for more police oversight — a call that rings hollow while the Common Council prepares to vote on whether to weaken the Police Civilian Oversight Board. Governor Tony Evers issued a statement earlier in the week: "His life mattered." State Representative Shelia Stubbs was more direct: "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 who killed Corey Ruiz should be arrested. 

The Movement Responds 

The protests are not slowing down. They are organizing. 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 coordinating the community response. Their demands have been clear from the first night: release the footage, fire and prosecute Officer Peterson, drop any posthumous charges against Corey Ruiz, and deliver community control over the police who have killed Tony Robinson, Richard Lee Johnson, and now Corey Ruiz — all within blocks of each other, all within ten years. Freedom Action NOW is mobilizing allies to provide material support: bodies at actions, resources for organizing, amplification of Freedom Inc.'s demands. The work of allies is to follow. 

The Clock Is Ticking 

The Madison Common Council votes on the future of the Police Civilian Oversight Board on August 4. The same board that announced it will conduct an independent review of the Ruiz shooting is the board the city is trying to strip of its funding, its independence, and its authority to investigate. They want to weaken oversight while the police are still killing us. While the family is still grieving. While the memorial is still growing. The family spoke on July 24. The movement has been in the streets since July 22. The Council votes on August 4. This is not a timeline of separate events. It is a single story: the city killed a Black man, the community demanded justice, and the city's response is to protect the killers. We refuse to let this be the end of the story.