The National Police Accountability Project mourns the death of Corey Ruiz, who was killed by Madison Police yesterday. We call on all governments to expand alternative response models before resorting to deadly force.
Police officers kill an average of three people every day in the U.S. — mostly people of color — and injure, brutalize, and harass countless more, with little to no accountability. We work to build a future free from police violence, and obtain justice for those harmed by the existing criminal legal system.
Executive Director of NPAP, Lauren Bonds said:
No mother, spouse, or child should ever get the phone call that Corey Ruiz’ family did yesterday.
Police officers are not equipped to respond to this situation alone. They saw a Black man with a knife, and shot him. An alternative responder with mental health expertise could have better assessed Mr. Ruiz’ needs and de-escalated the situation.
Anti-Black bias might be part of U.S. culture; it might be part of law enforcement in the United States. But that doesn’t mean we have to stand for it. Black men deserve to grow old too.
Madison has made strides since the police murder of Tony Robinson and yet, with one irreversible decision, a single group of officers set that progress back yesterday. Most importantly, a father is dead.
In 2020, due to years of community advocacy and leadership after Robinson’s shooting death, the Madison Common Council established the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) and Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIM). Their role is to independently monitor police operations and hold the police accountable. We have appeared before both bodies, and we support their work.
PCOB Chair Maia Pearson indicated that the Office of the Independent Police Monitor is opening an independent review of the events that lead to Ruiz’ death. Meanwhile, the Madison Common Council is considering amendments to reduce the body’s independence.
Said Bonds:
Reducing the PCOB’s independence would be completely inappropriate. The community has been demanding police wear body cameras for years. The fact that this still hasn’t happened — in 2026 — is a travesty.
Instead, we are relying on bystander footage to show us what really happened. Madison residents and Mr. Ruiz’ family deserve nothing short of an independent review by the PCOB, and they must be given full access to the same materials and information the police have.