MADISON, Wis. — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is demanding criminal charges against the Madison police officer who fatally shot 38-year-old Corey Ruiz on a busy city street, as protests broke out following the release of videos capturing the confrontation.
“They not only tackled him, not only tased him, not only kicked him, but you saw they shot him three times in his head and other parts of his body,” Crump said during a news conference held at the state Capitol, located less than 2 miles from where Ruiz lost his life.
Ruiz’s mother, Elsa Ruiz, was overcome with grief as she addressed those gathered. “He was my love. He loved his daughter, he loved his family. He did not deserve to be taken out like that. They took my baby from me,” she said through tears, adding that she never could have imagined she would one day be burying her son.
According to police, Ruiz pulled out a knife during a confrontation with four officers, wounding one of them. That wounded officer then fired the shots that killed Ruiz. The identity of the officer who fired has not been released.
All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while a state investigation is conducted. The city’s independent police monitor has also launched a separate inquiry into the incident.
The shooting occurred just a short distance from the home of Ruiz’s 13-year-old daughter. Her mother, Marjorie Ann Aliomar, noted that the girl will have to walk past that very spot each time she heads to school.
Ruiz’s daughter, Kah’liyah Ruiz, wept as she described the moment she found out her father had died. “My heart was broken and hurt so much knowing I can’t see my father any more,” she said.
Pushing back against those who have focused on her father’s past, Kah’liyah added, “People are saying he’s a criminal. So what? He had a family, he had me,” before breaking into tears.
The family vowed to pursue justice, with Crump characterizing the shooting as an unjustified “execution.” “Anytime there is excessive use of force, there should be accountability,” he said, describing the incident as “shocking on every level.”
The incident was recorded on a cellphone video that spread rapidly across social media. Madison Police Chief John Patterson cautioned on Thursday that the footage does not capture the event from the officers’ point of view. Notably, Madison stands apart from most cities of its size in that it does not require officers to wear body cameras, meaning no official police perspective footage exists.
“Thank God there was video,” Crump said. “If there wasn’t video, imagine what the narrative would have been.”
