Hundreds of people assembled in Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday evening to hold a vigil and to call for accountability after a police officer shot and killed a man the day before in an incident filmed by bystanders.
Local advocates and Wisconsin media outlets identified the man as Corey Ruiz and said he was Black. Video of the episode circulated widely on social media, reviving some of the public anger that followed past high-profile police killings.
According to footage of the encounter, four uniformed officers wrestled Ruiz to the pavement amid shouts of "Let go" and "He's got a knife." At one point during the struggle an officer deployed a Taser, which authorities said failed to subdue Ruiz for reasons that remain unclear, as noted by Madison Police Chief John Patterson.
Police have said Ruiz was armed with a knife and that at least one of the four officers involved suffered an injury during the confrontation. The video shows an officer drawing a handgun and firing what sounded like three shots at close range while the struggle was ongoing.
Late Wednesday, demonstrators gathered at the scene of the shooting and at the state Capitol. Organizers canceled an outdoor concert at the Capitol due to the protests, law enforcement said. Protesters returned on Thursday, placing flowers in the street and introducing members of Ruiz's family, including a daughter, to those assembled.
Earlier on Thursday, several protesters interrupted a news conference held by Chief Patterson, demanding that the officers implicated in the shooting be jailed. Some in the crowd carried signs reading "Corrupt cops deserve to die, too!!!"
Patterson provided additional context on the police response, saying officers had stopped Ruiz following reports of a person looking into parked cars. He also said another call reporting an unlawful entry into a nearby home may have contributed to the larger police presence at the scene.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation has taken charge of an independent homicide investigation into the shooting, Patterson said. Officials have not released further details about the specific circumstances that led to the use of lethal force or the identities of the officers involved.
The episode and subsequent demonstrations remained fluid as community members pressed for information and accountability while investigators continue their review.