Madison police officer fatally shoots man armed with knife, sparks protests
Madison police officer fatally shoots man armed with knife, sparks protests
Protests erupted across Madison Wednesday after police shot and killed a man. Police say that man had a knife and injured another officer.
MADISON, Wis. - Protests erupted across Madison Wednesday after police shot and killed a man. Police say that man had a knife and injured another officer.
Madison police shooting
What we know:
The story is drawing national attention as there is video of the confrontation circulating across social media. Viewers are warned that it is graphic. The video was paused before shots were fired.
Madison police said they were first called to a man that was checking parked vehicles Wednesday afternoon.
Eventually, officers caught up to him on a bicycle and confronted him. They said it is still being determined whether the man "fell off – or was pulled off the bicycle."
They said he was armed with a knife and injured an officer.
According to police, there was a scuffle and a Taser was used before the officer that was injured opened fire. Another officer was injured, according to the department, but it is unclear how.
The man shot by police was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Four officers total were involved in the incident, and all are on administrative leave.
Scene video shows where Madison police say the shooting took place, near Baldwin and Williamson streets – an area packed with bars and popular restaurants, just over a mile away from the Capitol.
Scene of Madison police officer-involved shooting at Baldwin and Williamson on July 22, 2026. (Courtesy WMTV-TV)
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Protests across Madison
Dig deeper:
The shooting prompted protests across Madison. Large crowds gathered Wednesday night at the State Capitol, where a Concerts on the Square event was happening. Those protests Wednesday night reached even as far as Green Bay.
A vigil took place later in the night near the scene of the shooting. This is actually the same location where police shot and killed a man named Tony Robinson back in 2015. That shooting also prompted a large community response, and no charges were filed in his death.
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Madison Police Chief John Patterson urged everyone to remain calm as the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation investigates the shooting.
"I will say that I'm aware of cell phone video that has been shared and circulated online depicting this incident. I ask the community recognize that there is other video that has not been seen. That is not circulating online that will be reviewed as a part of this investigation. So to the extent that they can as we all navigate this trauma together, that we try to remain calm," Patterson said.
Police are not releasing any specific details about the officer who pulled the trigger, other than that he was a "veteran" officer. They also say the man shot was in his 30s.
The officers in this incident, however, were not wearing body cameras because the Madison Police Department does not have worn body cameras.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s reporter and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
Madison police: Officer shoots, killed man armed with knife
A Madison police officer shot and killed a man, who the department said was armed with a knife, on Wednesday afternoon, July 22.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Madison Police Department, Madison Police Chief John Patterson, social media video and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation.