The Wisconsin man who was killed by police after knifing a cop was a violent ex-con with a lengthy arrest record, including for battery on police officers, according to records.
Corey Ruiz was identified by state Rep. Shelia Stubbs, a Democrat, who said Ruiz “should still be alive” after police in Madison killed him while trying to arrest the man — whom authorities said had attacked cops with a knife.
Protesters have flooded the streets of Madison, Wisconsin, where the shooting happened and local black activists have seized on the killing.
“Another black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based black community advocacy group Urban Triage.
“That is the cruelty of state violence.”
However, Ruiz was identified as non-black Hispanic in his prison booking records — despite activists and protestors decrying the death as another case of police brutality against black people, reminiscent of George Floyd.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for “transparency and accountability” in any investigation as protestors marched on the state Capitol Thursday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
