A police officer in Madison, Wisconsin, shot and killed a man Wednesday afternoon in an incident that was captured on cellphone footage, sparking protests and renewed demands for police accountability. The shooting occurred on a city street in a popular neighborhood lined with restaurants, bars, shops and residential homes less than two miles from the state Capitol.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson said at a news conference that officers had responded to a report of a person allegedly checking parked vehicles Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, described as a man in his 30s, fled on a bicycle through nearby backyards before officers located him again less than two miles from the state Capitol. A physical struggle ensued, during which the man pulled out a fixed-blade knife and injured one officer, described as a 'veteran officer.'
Cellphone Footage and Conflicting Accounts
Cellphone video of the shooting circulated on social media shortly after the incident. The footage shows officers on the ground at an intersection struggling with a man who is then pulled up to his feet. One officer appears to have deployed a Taser, but it was 'not effective,' Patterson said. A fourth officer then fired his gun at the man at close range. Three gunshots are heard as the man stops moving. The officer who fired the lethal shots had been injured by the suspect with a knife, Patterson said.
Patterson stressed that the footage circulating was just one perspective of what happened. 'I caution everyone — this is one perspective,' Patterson said. 'It is not a full overview of everything that was visible from different angles, certainly visible from the officers.' He added that the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation — which is independently leading the investigation — will review all footage posted online or submitted directly to the agency.
Protests and Calls for Accountability
The shooting sparked immediate protests, with crowds gathering near the scene and marching to the state Capitol. Protesters chanted 'No justice, no peace' and 'Arrest the cops!' A planned Concert on the Square was canceled after protesters took over the stage.
Brandi Grayson, the head of Urban Triage, a Madison-based Black community advocacy group, said: 'Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name. That is the cruelty of state violence.' The race of the officer who fired his gun and that of the man killed were not released by police. But advocates said the man killed was Black.
Sabrina Madison, the city council president, called the videos 'both disturbing and painful' and said she expects 'a full, comprehensive, and transparent independent investigation into today's shooting of a community member.'
No Body Cameras and Troubled History
None of the officers involved were wearing body cameras, according to Patterson, who noted the department does not have 'any broad deployment of body cameras in Madison, unfortunately.' There was a 90-day body camera pilot program for the department in 2024, and Patterson has pushed for the cameras, calling them an 'essential tool' for modern policing, but funding has been an issue.
The shooting occurred on the same street where, in 2015, a white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, an unarmed, biracial 19-year-old, an incident that spurred large protests. Patterson acknowledged the shooting was a traumatic incident that 'has occurred in a neighborhood that has experienced a lot of trauma in the past.'
All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. The Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting.
