The man shot by police in Madison today is Corey D. Ruiz (Corey Durell Ruiz), according to two sources in a position to know. Madison’s police chief says that an officer was injured with a knife wielded by the man before the officer shot him. A disturbing video has gone viral.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson said in a news conference that an officer with the Madison Police Department was involved in a shooting on the city’s near east side. MPD officers were dispatched to a call just before 1 p.m. on July 22 for a report of a person allegedly checking parked vehicles, he said. Officers located the man and attempted to contact him. He fled on a bicycle and traveled through some nearby backyards in an attempt to get away.
Officers connected again with the man at 1:30 p.m., said the chief.
The man fell off or was taken off the bicycle by officers, according to the chief. He said a physical struggle ensued with officers in the middle of the intersection. “During the struggle, the man pulled out a knife or produced a knife, fixed blade knife, and an officer was injured by this while attempting to arrest him,” Patterson said. “A taser was deployed.” It was unsuccessful.
MADISON, WI POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTING UPDATE: Madison Police Chief John Patterson said officers were initially dispatched around 1 p.m. for reports of a man checking parked vehicles. According to Patterson, officers located the man, who allegedly rode away on a bicycle before… pic.twitter.com/qCTCX4Trk5
— Andrew Mercado (@AndrewMercado) July 22, 2026
The officer who was injured by the knife was the same officer who fired his weapon at this man, Patterson said. Four officers were involved. Only the one officer fired his weapon. A second officer also injured. It’s not clear how that injury occurred, but police don’t think it was from the knife. He described the man as being in his 30s and said he was taken to the hospital, but has died.
Part of the scene was captured on viral video. The clearest video shows:
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- “He’s got a knife! He’s got a knife!” an officer appears to shout. This appears to be the officer who fired his gun.
- “Taser, taser” an officer says. Then gunshots ring out
- It looked like officers were possibly trying to cuff him but hadn’t managed to; there was a struggle… There are multiple officers there. You hear the clicks of the taser. Then: It looks like he’s down on the ground when the officer fires.
The sources say:
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- He was armed with a knife.
- He was a DOC absconder from community supervision (DOC records bear this out).
- Police believed he was looking through unlocked cars.
- DOC records show he was released on extended supervision on May 12, 2026, and was supposed to be in Madison.
CCAP: Corey Ruiz Had a Long record
2024 Misdemeanor convictions: retail theft, resisting
2024 Misdemeanor convictions: resisting, possess drug paraphernalia (charge of battery or threat to judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer was dismissed)
2021 Felony conviction: Resist Officer – Substantial Bodily Harm/Soft Tissue Injury
2021 Felony conviction: Battery or Threat to Judge, Prosecutor or Law Enforcement Officer and Misdemeanor Conviction: Auto Theft
2020 Misdemeanor convictions: 2 counts of disorderly conduct
2020 Felony conviction: Bail jumping
2020: Misdemeanor conviction: Auto theft
2014: Felony convictions: Cocaine possession, marijuana possession. Misdemeanor theft
2014: Felony conviction: Bail jumping. Misdemeanor: Battery
2013: Misdemeanor convictions: 2 counts of theft
2009: Felony convictions: Strangulation/suffocation (2 counts), robbery with force
2007: Misdemeanor conviction: Disorderly conduct
The legal test will revolve around whether the officer(s) had a reasonable belief of imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another when opening fire… and his past record isn’t relevant unless they knew it and it played a part in their formation of belief.
As with all officer-involved shootings, it’s smart to wait for all facts and angles, including from the officers’ angles, before making judgments. Remember how bad the Jacob Blake police shooting video looked, and that officer was exonerated by a Democrat DA due to the fact Blake had a knife and twisted toward him. These situations are fluid, and this just happened, so details can always change and there’s information not known.
A fuzzier video shows that Ruiz may have made contact with, or came close to making contact with, an officer, but a car then moves in front of the camera right as the shots ring out.
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