Police officer fatally shoots man in Madison, Wisconsin, sparking protests
A man was shot and killed by police during a response to a vehicle break-in report, leading to protests in Madison, Wisconsin.
A police officer in Madison, Wisconsin, shot and killed a man Wednesday in an incident captured on cellphone footage, sparking local protests.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson acknowledged the shooting at a news conference but stressed that the circulating video provides only one perspective. He expressed sympathies to the family, though the victim's name was not released. The man was in his 30s, police said.
The shooting occurred on a city street in a popular neighborhood with restaurants, bars, and shops, less than 2 miles from the state capitol. Video shows numerous cars stopped at an intersection as people watched the incident unfold.
"Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name," said Brandi Grayson, head of Urban Triage, a Black community advocacy group. "That is the cruelty of state violence."
Police were responding to reports of someone trying to enter parked vehicles. The suspect fled on a bike through backyards before officers contacted him on the street. Chief Patterson said the suspect either fell or was taken off the bike, and during the struggle, pulled out a knife, injuring an officer.
In one video, three officers are seen restraining the man. He frees his arms and tries to stand. An officer runs shouting "Taser!" but another officer draws his pistol and fires three shots at close range as the man falls to the ground. After shooting, the officer holsters his weapon and places the suspect's arm behind his back before walking away. Other officers turn the man onto his belly and later provide medical aid.
Patterson described the officer who fired as a veteran but did not name him. Another officer was injured, but it is unclear how. The other two officers were uninjured. Police did not release the race of the officer or the deceased, but local Black advocates said the man was Black.
Madison City Council President Sabrina Madison called the videos "both disturbing and painful" and called for a full, transparent independent investigation. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will investigate as it involves police officers. In 2015, a white officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street, sparking large protests.
