Journal Sentinel62%
Some police experts troubled by Madison shooting of Corey Ruiz 57%
By David Clarey0%
7/24/2026, 12:05:11 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 21 faulty reasoning types, including False Dilemma, Appeal to Emotion, and Framing Effect, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 24.2% saturation with 180 hits. Analysis detected 901 faulty-reasoning hits from 743 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 54.1% and a BS Rank of 57% (9,458 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 56.80% of the article peer group.
Graphic footage of a Madison police officer shooting a man armed with a knife during attempts to restrain him troubled policing experts.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with three use-of-force experts.
Two agreed the July 22 shooting in Wisconsin's capital raised concerns over the officer's decision to fire, despite the officer being injured by the knife during the scuffle.
They said the shooting came hastily during the brief encounter, while endangering the other officers present, and questioned whether enough was done before it began to stymie it.
Police said the shooting occurred after officers attempted to arrest Corey Ruiz, who was wanted for bike theft and checking the doors of parked cars.
Bystander footage of the shooting spread rapidly on social media July 22.
The video clips, which depict the struggle ongoing, showed an altercation between four officers and Ruiz.
At one point, an officer can be heard shouting about Ruiz having a knife, and another officer shouts Taser, before deploying the stun gun.
Ruiz goes to the ground, and an officer stomps on Ruiz's thigh just before another officer fires three gunshots at him and kills him.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson said at press conferences the stun gun was ineffective and that he did not know how the officer was injured by the knife.
"The question becomes why, how, and what could have been done to mitigate this type of encounter?"
said De Lacy Davis, a former New Jersey police sergeant and use-of-force expert.
"It doesn't have to end in death."
One expert differed with Davis and the other expert, saying the resistance to the arrest and inclusion of a knife likely justified the officer's decision to shoot.
"An officer would have the right to counter it with deadly force to neutralize the threat," said Tim Dimoff, a police use-of-force expert based in Ohio and former police officer.
The gunshots raised other concerns to Jones-Brown and Davis, who both said the chance of the gunshots striking another officer were too high.
Jones-Brown and Davis both said the other officers' reactions – one officer briefly covering her mouth, another turning away following – suggested they were surprised by the gunfire.
But Dimoff cautioned against reading too far into the officers' reactions.
However, he said it will be pivotal in the investigation how those other officers discuss what occurred and the level of danger they believe they were in.
If the shooting was to go to a jury trial, the dueling perspectives of whether the shooting was reasonable to prevent additional harm or if it was unreasonable when no other officers fired would have to be decided on, Jones-Brown said.
"This is a really tough call in terms of how people who believe that the police should be allowed to use whatever methods they think they need to protect themselves, and people like myself, who believe that officers do have to show restraint," she said.
The shooting and the footage of it raised immediate criticism from members of the public and some politicians.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson asked the public to be patient with the investigation.
He said footage online showed only one perspective.
No police bodycam footage exists of the incident, as no frontline Madison officers have body cameras, he said.
"We don't have all the information right now, [we] have to allow investigators to piece things together," Patterson said.
It was met by protests throughout the day and those continued into July 23.
Rep.
Francesca Hong, a leading Democrat governor candidate, described it as a "state-sanctioned violence" and an "execution."
Gov.
Tony Evers called for protesters to remain peaceful and respectful and said he had been briefed on it July 22.
"There must be transparency and accountability in any investigation moving forward," Evers said in a post on X.
"We will continue to keep the loved ones and family of the individual who was killed in our hearts and prayers.
His life mattered."
The shooting had clearly impacted public trust in police, Patterson said at a July 23 press conference.
That was evident at the press conference, which was interrupted by fiery protesters, and at the two days of protests since the shooting.
"I think everyone in this room can feel the thinness of trust in this city right now," he said.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He can be reached at dclarey@usatoday.com.
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100%flagged-word coverageFrancesca Hong
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