Madison police shooting; city crews begin clearing out protest encampment

MADISON, Wis. - City of Madison crews started clearing an encampment near Williamson and Baldwin streets on Tuesday, Aug. 4, which had been established to protest the fatal police shooting of Corey Ruiz, according to WMTV. 

Clear out protest encampment

What we know:

WMTV journalists reported that city trucks and the Wisconsin State Patrol arrived at the scene around 4:45 a.m. Shortly after, at 5:00 a.m., crews issued a verbal warning for people in the encampment to clear out.

At approximately 5:15 a.m., fire was observed within the Williamson Street intersection adjacent to Fire Station 3, prompting a response from firefighting units and Madison police personnel outfitted in riot gear.

Police told WMTV four people had been arrested as of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The area has been closed since the July 22 fatal Madison police shooting. Initially, protesters gathered at the intersection to build a memorial, but demonstrators later erected barricades and established an encampment.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway issued a statement last week addressing concerns regarding the encampment. She called the situation at Williamson and Baldwin streets "not sustainable or safe."

Shooting investigation

The backstory:

Madison Police Chief John Patterson said officers responded to calls about a man stealing bicycles and checking car doors and confronted him on July 22, but he rode away on a bicycle.

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Police later encountered the man again, at Baldwin and Williamson, and the man "fell or was pulled off the bicycle." There was a struggle in the middle of the intersection, and police said the man pulled out a knife and injured an officer.

Officers used a taser to try to take the man into custody before the injured officer shot the man, since identified as Ruiz. Ruiz was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Madison police said the four involved officers were placed on administrative leave as the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation investigates the shooting as a homicide. 

The Madison Police Department does not have body-worn cameras for officers. After prior efforts to fund bodycams were shut down, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said this week that she will include funding for them in her next budget.