Madison police fatally shot 38-year-old Corey Ruiz on July 22 during a struggle in the city’s Marquette neighborhood. This was a police killing, a tragedy that demands thorough scrutiny, but it was not (as of now) a murder or an execution.
Officers responded to reports of a man allegedly stealing bicycles and checking doors on parked vehicles. They confronted Ruiz, who fled on a bicycle through backyards before being located again near Williamson and South Baldwin streets. A physical struggle ensued with multiple officers. According to police, Ruiz produced a fixed-blade knife, injuring an officer. A Taser was deployed without success. The injured officer then fired, striking Ruiz, who died at a hospital.
Bystander videos circulated quickly, prompting protests, vigils and sharp criticism. Some, including family attorneys, have labeled the incident an “execution.” Such rhetoric inflames tensions before facts are established.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent probe, with officers on administrative leave. This process exists precisely to determine whether the use of force was justified. Rushing to prejudge risks undermining public trust and repeating the errors of past cycles of unrest.
Ruiz’s background provides important context, not justification. Court records show he had roughly 40 misdemeanor and felony convictions spanning nearly two decades, including robbery by force, strangulation, battery of law enforcement officers, vehicle theft, resisting arrest causing bodily harm, and drug offenses. He was listed as absconded from community supervision at the time.
None of this diminishes the value of his life or the grief of his family, friends, and young daughter. He was remembered by some as a troubled but loving father struggling with addiction and mental health. Yet his extensive record of violence, particularly against police, underscores the dangers officers faced that day.
Candidates for Wisconsin governor and other high offices must exercise restraint. Painting this as murder or execution before the investigation concludes serves no one. It poisons discourse, pressures investigators and echoes the inflammatory narratives that fueled 2020 unrest. Leaders should call for calm, support the probe’s transparency and await evidence, including full context from witness accounts and forensics.
Tragic encounters like this expose challenges in policing individuals with long criminal histories who resist violently. They also test a community’s commitment to facts over fury. Madison deserves an impartial investigation that establishes truth, accountability where due, and lessons for de-escalation where possible. Premature judgments help no one, least of all those seeking genuine justice.
