Madison protesters hold State Street sit-in, renew calls for police accountability
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) — Protesters gathered on State Street Saturday night, holding a sit-in as demonstrations continued following the police shooting death of 38-year-old Corey Ruiz.
Organizers said the demonstration was intended to be peaceful and did not involve entering businesses or disrupting their operations.
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Demonstrators are calling for three actions: the arrest of the officer involved in the shooting, the release of all independent investigative information to the city's civilian oversight board and expanded authority for the board to discipline police officers.
Protesters said they plan to continue demonstrating until those demands are met.
"When we made the demands in 2020, that was the establishment of the civilian oversight board when we said no," organizer Ayomi Obuseh said. "I was 19 years old at the time, saying, 'Hey, no, we want a civilian oversight board. We want community control over the police,' and we got it. Six years since then, they have been underfunding us, cutting us every step of the way, and so it's paramount that we strengthen this board, because if the board has the opportunity to do proper investigations, to hire and fire police officers instead of giving them suspension with pay."
Ruiz's family has retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has described the shooting as an execution.
According to the Madison Police Department, the incident began when officers responded to a report of someone checking parked vehicles. Police said Ruiz fled on a bicycle before officers caught up with him and attempted to take him into custody.
Investigators said Ruiz displayed a knife during the encounter and cut one of the officers. Police said a Taser was deployed but was unsuccessful before an officer fired their weapon.
Officers performed life-saving measures, and Ruiz was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation and is treating the case as a homicide investigation, which is standard procedure for officer-involved deaths.