07/24/2026
Public statement regarding the shooting of Corey Ruiz.
For immediate release.
Yesterday, Corey Ruiz was shot and killed by law enforcement in Madison.
Today, we say his name.
We recognize that our community is grieving, asking questions, and searching for answers about what happened on Williamson Street.
At End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, our work is rooted in a fundamental belief: everyone deserves to live with safety, dignity, and freedom from violence.
That commitment does not begin or end at the doors of domestic violence programs.
As an anti-violence movement, we have a responsibility to examine violence wherever it occurs and to recognize the ways power, racism, oppression, gender-based violence, and systemic inequities shape who experiences safety and how communities experience systems intended to provide it.
Violence does not happen in a vacuum.
Neither does community grief.
The death of Corey Ruiz comes within a much larger history of communities of color navigating complicated, painful, and sometimes deadly relationships with institutions and systems of power. In particular, Black men in this country have long been subjected to disproportionate surveillance, excessive force, and violence at the hands of law enforcement; patterns that continue to shape how many people understand and experience safety today. For many across Madison and Wisconsin, Corey’s death may bring anger, grief, fear, exhaustion, and difficult memories of other lives lost.
There are still questions that must be answered about what happened.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the shooting. As that investigation continues, our communities deserve transparency, accountability, and a full understanding of the circumstances that resulted in a life being lost.
We are holding Corey’s family, friends, and loved ones in our thoughts.
We are also thinking about the community members who witnessed his death and the people who may be impacted by the graphic footage circulating online.
You do not have to watch a person’s final moments to understand the gravity of their death.
We encourage people to consider the impact of sharing graphic footage and to center the humanity of the person whose life was lost.
Corey Ruiz was a person before he became a headline.
As an organization committed to ending violence, we believe safety must mean safety for all of us. Dignity must mean dignity for all of us. Accountability must apply to all of us.
Our movement has long understood that ending violence requires more than responding after harm occurs. It requires us to examine power, challenge inequity, listen to impacted communities, and continue imagining systems of safety that allow every person to live with dignity.
We also know that change requires action. We call on our community members to stay engaged, to seek out accurate information, to support Corey’s family and those directly impacted, and to show up for one another in ways that promote care, accountability, and justice. We urge community leaders and decision-makers to commit to transparency and to invest in approaches to safety that do not rely on harm or violence.
There is much we are still learning about what happened on July 22.
But today, a family is grieving.
A community is hurting.
And a life has been lost.
.
His name was Corey Ruiz.
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We recognize that conversations and images surrounding Corey’s death may be difficult, painful, or activating. Please take care of yourself and one another.
For emotional or crisis support, call or text 988.
For community support and racial justice resources in Madison, connect with Urban Triage and Freedom Inc.
For civil rights information and advocacy, visit the ACLU of Wisconsin.
For official updates regarding the investigation, follow the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin can help connect you with advocacy programs and resources throughout the state.
You do not need to watch or share graphic footage to bear witness.
Care for yourself.
Care for your community.
Stay informed.
